Well Then
by Arylia Scry
Summary: Arylia Scry was a strange girl. Despised by her family, she decided to just get out and stumbled into the lives of the Pines family plus Soos and Wendy. At school, she met a boy with fluffy golden hair and strange golden eyes who seems to be interested in being more than just friends. When she finds out some secrets about her past and heritage, what will happen? (UNDER REVISIONS!)
1. Prologue

**Hey my comets! So, I decided that since I haven't done this already that I would make a story with my OC. No, no, this isn't one about the travels with Dipper and Aztec, this is about my OC from before she knew she was part a bunch of random mythical creatures (except that I actually believe in angels and demons, not Bill though *shudders*). I love how I can just say that this is from another point in time and everything is okay because it makes a kind of freaky sort of sense! This one is about where my OC is still in high school, and someone comes in with no end to her surprise. (yes my OC is a girl, yes that means I am a girl. Don't judge!) Anyways, you probably just want to read the story so I'll get out of your way; here's the story!**

Hey there! My name is Arylia Scry, I'm fifteen years old, am a Freshman-almost-Sophmore at Gravity Falls High, and am the object of a terrifying demon's affection. Let me start over from the beginning. I live in this little town in the middle of nowhere called Gravity Falls with my boss Soos Ramirez. I was just looking for a place to stay since I was kicked out of my house for talking back to my father; he totally deserved it, telling me that I "needed to stop hanging out with the guys". They've been my best friends since kindergarten! I mean, how is that bad?! Anyway, I had come out of the pouring rain and gone into the Mystery Shack to find this pudgy man-baby wearing a suit and a fez with some kind of fish thingy eating a dot standing next to a red-head teen girl wearing a green plaid shirt and a blue and white baseball cap with a blue pine tree on it.

The girl's eyes widened as she saw me, "Whoah, dude, what happened?"

I stood there with teeth chattering as the man-baby ran up to me with a blanket, "Dude, you gotta be freezing! Come inside dude and you can warm up; my name's Soos, what's your name dude?" I looked up at the man with wide violet eyes, another reason I was thrown out. My parents were _super_ religious and hated **_everything_** that had to do with the supernatural, so with my strange amethyst colored eyes I was considered taboo and almost not worth keeping.

"A-arylia... Scry." I added that last bit as a new last name; after all, I wouldn't be going back to my blood relatives any time soon, so why shouldn't I be my own free woman?

"Arylia, that's pretty cool, I'm Wendy by the way, nice to meetcha." The red-head led me into the "employees only" section of the shack to set me down in a lounge chair in front of a TV. Outside, I could feel a dark presence, one that was oddly comforting and calming. I turned my head to the window to see a faint golden glow in the night fade away into the forest surrounding the shack. I shuddered, something was going down here, I just hoped that I would be far, far away from it.

Boy was I wrong...

 **Now guys, as the title suggests, this is only a teaser. Please tell me if you like this idea and want to see more because if you don't like this then I won't even try to put this up and will take it down before you burn my muse to the ground (I just got this new one after Bill killed my last one, only a few days ago I was surviving off of your reviews [very few and a long time to wait for the next one]) Please tell me honestly what you think, I have only one request...** ** _NO FLAMES!_** **I have had... many bad experiences with flames...*recalls screams of women and children as the world burns around her and blood falls from the sky*... please no flames... Ciao for now!**


	2. Getting Back On My Feet

**Hey my comets! I hope you liked the teaser, but if you didn't then you don't have to read this. Anyways, I went and wrote some more! Just to let you know, I am not in a family like the one I am describing and I do not mean any offense to anyone in a family like this. Enjoy the story!**

 **Bill: Yeah, enjoy it while you still can.**

 **GAH! What are you doing here?! You shouldn't be out of that containment unit!**

 **Bill: Oh, you mean the binding circle? I just had to call in some favors and it was easy to get out.**

 ***grumbles* maybe I** _ **should**_ **have gotten Dipper's help with that.**

 **Bill: *chuckles* Pine Tree couldn't keep me in there either! I just wanted to let people know, Arylia Scry does NOT own Gravity Falls, it belongs to Alex Hirsch *mumbles* (only because** _ **I**_ **possessed him to get the guy to make it)**

 **What was that?**

 **Bill: Nothing!**

 **Mmkay… (I don't believe him) anyways, favorite, follow, and review and here's the story!**

I awoke to find myself laid out on a faded emerald recliner and covered in ratty blankets. My first thought was to secure the perimeter, as that was always my first thought ever since leaving… them. I shifted a bit and felt a sharp pain rush through my side, nothing new.

After my… father… saw that I had violet eyes, he dropped me. Just dropped me. Unfortunately, I had been in the kitchen at the time and fell on the dishes (here's a tip, never roll around on spoons, they're much sharper than you'd expect.) and my father didn't pick me back up until he had fully registered my eye color. By that point I had gained a deep slash up my side, now twisted and morphed after I aged to look kind of like the swirl air symbol. Anyways, when my mother found out she was _not_ happy and got me to an emergency room to have stitches. Let's just say that my father got a talking to from some very nice officers who had become similar to godparents over time.

I got up to assess the damage from last night and saw that I had several scratches along my palms and my ankles, most of which had stopped bleeding thanks to someone's impromtu bandaging skills. I looked around at my surroundings to find an old looking TV, a few pillows, a tank with an axolotl (I had always thought that they were amazing but my father had always hated them with a vengeance), and a door with the words "Employees Only" on it. I rubbed my ankles a bit to move the bandage (it was just a bunch of toilet paper with tape on the outside) to stay up instead of sliding down and walked through the doors to find the man and teen from last night, um, Soos and Wendy, talking in front of a cash register.

"We can't call the cops! Think about it man, you want Sheriff Blubbs and Deputy Durland to look for her parents. Not only are they incompetent, but she probably ran away for a reason. She needs to rest for a few days, maybe get back on her feet, then decide what she wants to do. C'mon Soos, you gotta admit that she was pretty banged up last night, and there was something going on outside. I swear, the girl was looking around like she was being chased or somethin'. Maybe we sho-" Wendy cut herself off as she noticed that I was standing in the doorway with my hair hanging over my eyes enough to block my eyes from sight but not enough to impair my vision.

Soos turned around and a smile spread across his face, "Hey dude! Glad you're up, are you hungry?" I nodded and glanced at Wendy from beneath my bangs, she seemed to be totally fine with me and not knowing much about me. I guessed that lots of weird stuff had happened to her and Soos over the years or they would probably be freaking out. Suddenly, I felt as if someone was watching me, a chill went up my neck and the air in the room dropped several degrees.

Soos stopped in the doorway back into the room I was just in, "Dudes, do you guys feel that? Feels like a ghost just came into the room." Wendy nodded and rubbed her arms, I looked out the window in time to see fluffy golden hair duck beneath the window ledge. My eyes widened and I ran to the door to see who it was when I felt an invisible force push me back inside with a thud. Wendy and Soos looked down at me in surprise while I grimaced at the pain in my hands, ankles, and side. Suddenly, the room became warmer again as the feeling of someone, or some _thing_ , watching me faded away until I felt calm again.

Wendy squinted her eyes in confusion, "Umm, how did you get in here last night again?"

I rolled my eyes, now uncovered from behind my raven-colored bangs, "I came in through the door, how else?" Soos and Wendy just looked at each other, worry written clear on their faces.

"Uh, dude? Try going out the door again." Soos pointed at the open door. I cocked an eyebrow but got up and walked through the doorway with no difficulty, whatever strange force that had pushed me back inside was gone. I looked back at the pair inside with a curious expression, then went back inside. Soos shrugged and went through the "Employees Only" door, leaving me with the red haired teen sitting on the counter.

Wendy shrugged, "Sorry 'bout that, Soos and I just wanted to make sure that you weren't a demon; we have an anti-weirdness shield that keeps out demons and other weird things. By the way, what were you running out for?"

I shrugged sheepishly, allowing my bangs to cover my amethyst eyes again, "I thought I saw someone duck under the windowsill. Guess I was wrong."

Wendy sat up ramrod straight, "What did you see?"

I cocked an eyebrow, but the effect was lost on her on account of the bangs covering my upper face, "I _thought_ I saw fluffy golden hair, why?"

Wendy relaxed, "There's this guy named Robbie Valentino who still hasn't gotten over me, we broke up a _month_ ago but he won't stop coming to watch me at work and follows me everywhere I go. I don't know anyone with fluffy golden hair though, wonder who it could be." I shrugged and looked out the window at the surrounding forest. It seemed like it was around noon based on the shadows around the place, and when I glanced at the owl clock I saw I was right, it was 12:26.

"So, what are you planning on doing now?" Wendy got up and walked over to me.

I shrugged, "I dunno, I'm not going back to my family though, my father would probably kill me if he saw me again." I said this in a no nonsense way to let Wendy know that my father wouldn't hesitate to end my life if he saw me again.

"Well, you probably need a job and a place to stay. I can't speak for Soos, but the attic's open since Dipper and Mabel left for Piedmont. You could probably get a job here until you get back on your feet." Just then Soos walked in with a large plate of pancakes and a glass of some kind of pink, sparkly liquid.

"Hey dudes, I heard your entire conversation and I think it's a great idea! Here, I got you some pancakes and some Mabel Juice that we still have." Soos handed the items to me and I sat down on the ground to eat.

"Um, Soos, why Mabel Juice?" Wendy asked.

"Mabel Juice is good dawg, c'mon, ya gotta admit that it's good." He watched me as I took my first sip of Mabel Juice.

It felt like all my taste buds exploded.

My eyes opened wide and the air around us got very, _very_ cold, then several items started to levitate and the electricity went out. Wendy and Soos began to float and they had shock on their faces, at least, they did until I did a spit take and the liquid went rushing out of my mouth. After that, everything went back to normal except for the taste of lightning on my tongue. (I was struck by lightning on my second day out in the wild, my mouth was open to put some food in it and lightning struck my tongue… never doing that again…).

Wendy stared at me wide eyed, "Um, dude, what was that?"

I looked down at the sparkling drink in that cup and pushed it away, "I think that was the Mabel Juice."

Soos shook his head, "Okay dude, no more of that for you. Anyway, how about it? You gonna stay here?" I looked at him, really _looked_ at him, and saw that he had genuine kindness in his eyes. He really meant that I would be fine with me staying.

"S-sure. I-I guess." I pushed aside my bangs a bit to see them better, and to let them see _me_.

"Great, you can go to Gravity Falls High School with me and work here with Soos on the weekends." Wendy made a boo-yah gesture. I smiled softly, it seemed that things were turning out for the better for once in my life.

Jinx.

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~v~

I stood on the sidewalk next to Wendy, new bookbag on back and my schedule in hand. I took a deep breath and walked into the place that Wendy called Hell on earth. I had healed from my adventures in the woods enough to go to school for the first time in a while and, needless to say, I was nervous about what would happen. Wendy had helped me enroll as a sophmore and _boy_ did I need her help; everyone was staring at my eyes if they caught a glimpse of what was underneath, and I'm pretty sure that the school nurse took pictures and is now uploading them to a blog (don't ask me what her blog name is, I have no idea). Soos let me use one of the bags from the giftshop, the one with the violet outlined diamond split into four different corners, each a different color. My favorite part is the white part because it shimmers like what I imagine angel's wings look like, but I also like the cyan part because I _swear_ it looks like moving water. The other colors inside were a black that seems to suck in all light kind of like a black hole and a silvery white part that sort of lets off a cold aura and has little ice crystals on it (not glitter, I checked… Soos's tongue was stuck to it for the better part of an hour).

As I entered the school, I dodged several boys who were roughhousing in the hallway and a few bookbags lying on the ground. Wendy helped me to my locker number 667, just one step away from the devil; _boy_ did I get lucky to not have locker 666, and showed me where my classes were. First hour was Chemistry, second was Geometry II, third was Choir (one of my favorite subjects), and finally was AP Literature (why did I do this, I _hate_ literature).

After I put all my stuff away in the locker I headed to class, only to bump into a boy wearing a yellow-gold shirt; I fell to the ground, only to be caught in the boy's arms. I looked at him to see golden eyes with cat-like pupils, strange, but I was a friend of the strange, and a cute smile gracing pinkish lips. His skin was tanned, not mexican, but not caucasian either, and a handful of freckles were brushed onto his cheeks. His hair was golden, fluffy, and the bit that fell onto my face was extremely soft. I blushed slightly as I realized that he was looking at me in the same way I was looking at him.

"Hi." I said, trying to pick myself up out of his grasp.

"Hi." He replied, mouth twisting into a smirk, "Nice eyes." My eyebrows shot up as I realized that my hair was out of my face and he could see my dark violet eyes. I shook my head a bit to allow my bangs to fall, once again blocking my eyes from view. The teen's eyes widened and brushed my bangs away, "Don't do that, I like your eyes. They're like amethyst crystals that catch starlight, I'm Birch by the way." I shied away, this guy seemed to radiate some kind of… danger… I couldn't put my finger on it, but I didn't trust the guy very much.

"Excuse me." I mumbled as I went through the doorway behind him. He turned and followed me into the classroom, sitting down at a lab table near a window that overlooked a beautiful garden.

"Ah, miss, um, Arylia Scry?" I heard a voice to the right of me and turned to find a bald man wearing round glasses and what looked like a linen shirt; all in all, it gave him the look of Mahatma Gandhi.

"Yes?" I shrunk down a bit, trying to hide from prying eyes of curious students.

"How about you sit with… Birch Elpil." Almost all the girls in the room gave an audible sigh, it seemed I had gotten paired with the "hot guy". I glanced over at Birch who was doing something with his hands and whispering something, but I couldn't make out what. I sighed and walked over to the table, until I was tripped by some girl's leg and platform heel. I toppled like a building and my things went flying, along with my hair. When I got up, someone must have noticed my eyes because this kid started pointing and laughing, setting off a chain reaction. By the time I had everything in my hands, everyone was pointing and laughing except for the teacher, who was trying to silence the class, and Birch, who looked… angry? Why would he be angry?

Birch took a deep breath, "QUIET! Seriously, her eyes are pretty awesome, so unless you're going to complement them, _shut up!_ " I looked at him in surprise, I was _not_ expecting him to do that; I had never expected _anyone_ to ever do that. I needed to start trusting a bit more. Class went on fairly well after that, mostly we were reviewing so the teacher could find out what to teach us.

After Chemistry, everything went pretty well, although I did get a bit of grief from some of the girls in the class on my way out (stupid platform heels!). When he and I compared schedules, it turned out that Birch was in _all_ my classes, much to the dismay of me and practically every other girl in the school. Geometry II was kind of weird, he kept blushing every time the teacher brought up a picture of a triangle with measured angles, but who was I to judge. When Choir came around, I was jostled into the classroom by the girl in my Chem class.

"You! Listen here, _punk_ , Birch is _my_ boyfriend, so don't even _think_ about trying anything." The girl whipped her wavy blonde hair over her shoulder.

"You go Tiffany!" One of her little hench girls said as they followed her, only to run into Birch.

He glared, "I'm _not_ your boyfriend, and leave Arylia alone you plastic barbie-wannabe." Birch walked away from the girls, leaving a flabbergasted Tiffany in his wake. "C'mon, let's go before they process that I just insulted them." He held out a hand to me, wanting to lead me somewhere.

I stood there, "Why?"

He cocked an eyebrow, "Why what? There are several answers to the 'why' question, so be specific."

I huffed and rolled my eyes, still hidden by my bangs, "Why are you so nice to me?" Over the years I had learned to be wary about kindness from people I hardly knew.

He smiled, and I noticed that he had sharper teeth than most people, "Because I like you Diamond." I cocked my eyebrow and it seemed to reach him even though he couldn't see it, "Because of your backpack. Now c'mon, we're doing vocal testing." I smiled a bit, he already gave me a nickname. I guessed that it meant we were friends.

We ran to a set of risers, set down our backpacks, and sat down by each other, a smile on his face as he pushed my bangs back to reveal my strange eyes again. I shook my head to let the hair fall back into place, nothing and _no one_ was going to get my eyes to show, not it this day and age. The teacher, Mrs. Fera, asked us all to come by the piano and line up, then began to hear our voices. When she got to Tiffany, the teen smirked and belted out some very high notes as well as some fairly low ones. I just rolled my eyes, she was just being a show off, well two could play at that game. When the teacher got to Birch, a beautiful baritone voice seemed to wrap me in it's arms and floated away all my fears and troubles. I barely caught myself before I moved my hair from my eyes, causing Birch to give a slight frown before going on with the notes.

 _What's up with that?_ I wondered, the reaction was so fast I wasn't even sure it had happened, but I could remember the crinkle of his brow and the downturn of his mouth. The strangest thing, however, was the fact that his eyes went a bit red before he smiled again. I shuddered as I heard a very non-talented singer go and botch all the notes. When the Mrs. Fera finally got to me at the end I smiled and floated several notes around to show that I was skilled enough, but when Tiffany smirked, I lost it. I began to use my skill to twist notes around each other and construct a melody from nothing, everyone seemed to be wide eyed and amazed as I wove notes high and low, telling the story of an ocean that could be called home, the story of the sky that reached infinity over the horizon, the story of a forest that grew from the hard shell of the earth, the story of a girl trying to find home.

When I finished, everyone in the room had either begun to rock back and forth with tears of sadness falling down their cheeks or were smiling with tears of joy in their eyes. Birch just stood there, shock and awe written clear on his face, until he snapped out of it and a smile covered his face and I noticed his teeth again. They were almost blindingly white with longer canines than a person should have, suddenly I began to have the fear that Birch was actually a vampire. But that wouldn't make sense, he had been standing in a sunlit patch earlier that day in the halls. I shook my head and smiled at him, suddenly the bell rang and we all headed off to lunch.

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~v~

When I met up with Wendy at the lunch line, I told her about Birch and she scrunched up her nose at the mention of his name.

"That guy hates me and I don't like him, he just gives off this weird… vibe? I don't know." Wendy shrugged and sat down at a lunch table with me, staring at the blue-green slop that the lunch ladies called "chicken fried steak".

I shrugged, "I dunno, he's pretty nice. Hey, do you think he's a vampire?"

Wendy looked at me with a cocked eyebrow, "Why would you ask _that?_ And no, if anything, he's a werewolf."

I shrugged, "He has long, sharp canines and all the girls seem to swoon around him." Wendy coughed, "Okay, _almost_ all the girls seem to swoon around him. I dunno, he just seems like vampire material."

Wendy chuckled, "Can't argue with that, and I wouldn't be surprised after all the weird stuff happening over the summer."

I cock my head a bit, "What kind of weird things?" Wendy rolled her eyes and began to tell me about her summer with gnomes, Gideon, ghosts, unicorns, fairies, a secret basement under the mystery shack (I was really excited to hear about that), a twin brother who was stuck in other dimensions for 30 years, and a dream demon.

"What was the dream demon's name?" I asked.

Wendy's eyebrows shot up and she leaned over to tell me, "His name was Bill Cipher." After saying this, she leaned back, "We're not supposed to talk about it because of the Never Mind All That act. I personally think it's stupid and that the next mayor should repeal it." I said nothing, this place was weirder than I thought; suddenly, Wendy's face became guarded and I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find Birch smiling.

"Mind if I join you ladies?" He asked, I waved as if giving him permission and he sat down. He tried to move my bangs to see my eyes when Wendy karate chopped his hand. "OUCH! What was that for Ice Bag?"

Wendy's eyes widened, "That was for trying to mess with my friend! She doesn't like people seeing her eyes, got it? And my name's Wendy, not Ice Bag."

Birch rolled his wrist and sighed, "Sorry Diamonds, I just like seeing your eyes. It's nice to know that someone else has eyes that are different and I just want to keep checking to make sure that they're real." His words seemed to tug a string in my heart, but I could tell Wendy wasn't buying it. I realized that he was doing something with his fingers and squinting at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just thought… nothing." Birch replied as he looked back at Wendy.

"Seriously, what? Do I have food on my face or something?" I checked to make sure.

"What? No, I just thought that your wrist looks a little bare." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I don't have any jewelry and Wendy isn't a big fan of it. I need to get some pay soon so that I can go shopping." I sighed at the thought, something shiny would be really nice to go with the new clothes Wendy got me.

Birch smiled, "Well, I have just the thing." He opened his backpack and rummaged around a bit with a snapping sound to finally pull out a golden bracelet with black triangles and silver diamonds embedded in it. "I took a creative arts class after school and made this, figured I could give it to some kid who needed it, and it seems like you need it." He smiled his sharp grin again and my heart fluttered a bit. Wendy looked at the bracelet with concern but said nothing of it, so I took it and slipped it on.

As soon as I did, I felt a wave of cold pass over me and I could see wispy white breath in front of me. I looked around to find that people were shivering and cups of water were freezing over. Some of the teachers were talking and trying to contact someone with their radios, but they didn't seem to be working. I looked down at the bracelet and noticed that the black triangles were now red and the diamonds were glowing white, both seeming to heat up the bracelet. I undid the clasp and slid the bracelet off, when I did, the room went back to its normal temperature to the surprise of everyone in the room. Everyone, except Birch; he let out a low whistle and walked away, leaving me and Wendy to wonder what had happened.

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~v~

After Literature (which sucked by the way), Wendy and I headed over to the Mystery Shack for work when something rustled in the bushes. I looked at Wendy quizzically, then went over to check what it was. A bit past the bushes and into the trees was a tiny man with a bushy brown beard wearing a pointy red hat taking a bath with squirrels.

"WAH!" I shouted as I jumped away from the sight that would haunt my nightmares.

"What is i- OH MY SYCAMORE!" Wendy shouted as she saw what I had been horrified at.

The tiny man opened his eyes and gasped in shock, "What are you doing?! Don't you know it's not cool to watch a gnome take a squirrel bath?!" I said nothing, I was scarred for life and what was worse, my hair had moved away from my eyes.

When the gnome-man noticed them he let out a low whistle, "Hubba hubba. You know, us gnomes are looking for a new queen and _you_ might just be _the one_." I cocked an eyebrow in disbelief, got up, and ran with Wendy right behind for dear life until we reached the shack.

Once there, Soos peeked out from behind a shelf wearing a large green shirt with a question mark on it and wearing a baseball cap instead of the usual fez, "Hey dudes! You're never gonna guess who showed up!"

Wendy looked back at the forest to make sure that we weren't followed, "Who Soos?"

Soos laughed, "It was Mr. and Mr. Pines, they came back because of some weirdness levels that they had sensed all the way from China! They need to stay for a while, so I'm giving Mr. Pines back the Mystery Shack. And guess what else?"

I rolled my eyes and covered them with my bangs again, "What else?"

Soos practically beamed, "Dipper and Mabel are coming back to Gravity Falls to stay! They're parents decided to move here to get away from the big city, I wonder if they're gonna keep searching out the mysteries of Gravity Falls? Now if you'll excuse me, I must find Dipper's journal to unlock the secrets of the universe." I smiled softly as Soos walked out the door, the guy was very childlike sometimes and this was one of them. Suddenly, a man with cracked glasses and sideburns wearing a brown trench coat and carrying a scanner walked into the room, then into me.

"OOMPH! Hey! Watch where you're going!" I rubbed my head after knocking it into the man's machine.

"Are you carrying any magical artifacts or strange tokens in that bag of yours?" The man asked just as another man who looked very similar to the one in front of me walked in through the door.

"Ah Stanford, right down to business with the girl. What's your name kid?" The new man asked as he put the fez that Soos always wore on his head and straightened his suit.

I gritted my teeth, I had never liked anyone call me 'kid', "My name's Arylia, and no, I don't think I am. Who are you guys anyway and Wendy, did that gnome guy follow us?" I looked over at my friend who shook her head no. I let out a sigh of relief.

"My name's Stanley and the grouch over there is my twin brother Stanford, but you can call me Stan and him Ford." the man with Soos's fez said.

Stanford shook his head, "No, you're carrying something. Can I see that bag of yours for a second?" He asked holding out a six-fingered hand in expectancy. I looked at the hand, that wasn't something you could cover up but he didn't seem to be ashamed of it, in fact, he seemed to be quite proud of it. I shrugged and handed him my bag, not knowing what I could possibly have in my backpack. I crossed my arms and looked back down at my bracelet that Birch had given me; after the room warmed up again I slipped the bracelet back on and nothing happened so I guessed that it was just a one time thing. The silver diamonds had gained a shimmering sheen to them and the black triangles had remained ruby red, almost as if they were angry at the world.

Stanford set down my bag with a heavy sigh and scanned the room again, "The weirdness signature is still coming from you, but you don't have any magic items."

"Not unless you count my 'exceptional beauty' a magical item." I joked as Ford's eyes went to my wrist and he sucked in a breath.

"Where did you get that?" He asked in a huff.

I looked down at the bracelet and shrugged, "My friend gave it to me, but it's not magic." Wendy gave me a look, "Well, mostly not magic." Ford cocked an eyebrow, a motion I was very familiar with. "The cafeteria got really cold today when I put it on, then warm once I took it off again. It didn't do anything after I put it on the second time." He seemed interested but did nothing else but scan the bracelet and shake his head again.

"No, the bracelet is radiating weirdness, but not the massive weirdness levels I'm detecting. I think _that_ is coming from you." I cocked my eyebrow underneath my bangs and shrugged. Stanley squinted at me then walked up to me and brushed my bangs out of the way, exposing my eyes.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" I batted his hand away but not before they caught sight of the strange coloring. "What?" Stan looked shocked and Ford stood stock still for a few moments before collapsing.

Soos walked in and looked at the old man on the floor for a few moments, "Okay? Do any of you dudes want to tell me what's going on?

 **Ta Da! Okay, this was 9 pages long and was written in two days (most of it was written in one). My comets,** _ **PLEASE**_ **fave, follow and review! I** _ **need**_ **it.**

 **Bill: She does, she ran out of coffee today and is on a low.**

 ***shoves him* They don't need to know that!**

 **Bill: *grins* I know, but it's fun to ruin your reputation while still making them want to read more!**

 ***grumbles* whatever.**

 **Wendy: Hey guys! Whad' I miss?**

 **You missed the entire chapter! I can't believe it, where** _ **were**_ **you?**

 **Wendy *blushes* None of your business!**

 **e_e' you were hanging with your new boyfriend weren't you.**

 **Wendy: No!**

 **Mmhmm, kay, I don't believe you but I'll drop it for now. Ciao for now my comets!**


	3. Ahh Memories,,, Can You Go Away Please?

**Hey my comets! So it turns out that this is your favorite story because I've gotten** _ **52**_ **readers in nine days,** _ **THAT,**_ **my friends, is impressive.**

 **Bill: Yep. Now all of you had better review this chapter or I will personally come and give you nightmares.**

 **...e_e'... Let's not get carried away Bill… but yes, you guys do need to review because I might call on you by name!**

 **Dipper: *hands a scrap of paper over to Arylia* Here you go, not many reviews to reply to but there are a few.**

 **Okay *reads list* WHAT?! Only** _ **three**_ **reviews in the past month?! (I am not counting mine because I sometimes will put in a review for you guys to give you hints and nudges in the right direction for guessing my plot-to-come) WAH! ~_~" Someone just put me out of my misery… Anyways;**

 **Musicalocelot: Hmmm, I am really curious now. What has the Stan Twins so shocked to the point of Ford fainting? And ***-** **(a/n I will not allow you to spoil who Birch is! Although most of you have probably guessed who)** ***Cough* I mean Birch seems to be up to something with that bracelet. I wonder what he wants with Arylia?**

 **THANK YOU FOR YOUR LONG REVIEW! Oh my GARSH you have figured out Birch's true identity and are trying to figure out what he wants with my OC, that is very advanced stuff and your mind may explode from the stress of figuring it out. Anyways, I will give you a hint; a certain item has expanded a bit and requires one (or more) more person(s) to complete it. And the bracelet? If you check out my profile you'll see what's up with that thing… *cheshire grin* you will know who the guy is in my profile, and this story is set in the past for you comets who didn't understand that.**

 **PotatoO'Brien: This sounds awesome, you have great puncuation, paragraphs, not every part of the story is constantly talking, detail, you are amazing! The fanfic and OC are good too! As long as there is *****XOC Drama you should be fine!**

 **Thank you very much for that comment, it's really helpful when you guys tell me what elements of the story are good and which parts I should focus on more than others. Just to let you know, I have** _ **no**_ **plan on ending the *****XOC Drama (BTdubs I copy the comments straight from the page unless they reveal character names) anytime soon. I was in fact planning on making it** _ **much**_ **worse on the first chapter, but I decided not to because it would be too early for that.**

 **PotatoO'Brien (again): OMG Birch is not what he seems! Wendy: rlly? Shabam! *turns to page with vampire* Wendy:** **-_-** **Oh wait no Shabam! *Turns to page with ***** Wendy: we knew that the second the story said: He blushed any time the geometry II teacher showed triangle pictures (1 chapter later) Wendy: Oh hey, he WAS a vampire! (this is not to be offencive at all I just like the vampire jokes)**

 **First of all, love how you incorporated bit of the first episode in the show into your review, really awesome! Second of all, I** _ **might**_ **just use that… as a prank with Dipper maybe… Who knows. Third of all, you are probably my favorite reviewer right now because of the review since it made me laugh out loud, quite literally and it's annoying the heck out of my sister. Fourth of all, Wendy, what are you doing in that person's review? You were** _ **supposed**_ **to be going out on a date with… you know who!**

 **Wendy: Well you didn't believe me when I told you that I wasn't with… you know!**

 **Dipper: *sobs quietly in the corner at hearing of the loss of his one true love***

 ***rolls eyes* whatever, but okay. Now on with the story. Will you please do the honor of disclaim and claim Dipper?**

 **Dipper: With pleasure, Arylia does not own Gravity Falls or any of it's characters (she wishes she did though) and you are all not allowed to copy this story or the OCs in any way shape or form (except for Tiffany and her hench maniacs if you are planning on giving them a good bashing).**

 **Thanks Dipdop, now on with the show!**

I walked down the path to school, mind spinning from the events of the previous day.

" _Okay, so Mr. Pines is passed out because of Ary's eye color, Wendy and Ary were chased by gnomes, and none of you want any Mabel Juice?" Soos asked._

 _Everyone awake looked at him in horror and annoyance, "NO!" I looked back at the passed out scientist on the floor._

" _What I don't get is why he freaked out about my eye color, I mean, it's not_ that _freaky." I sat leaned against the cashier bar and fiddled with my bracelet for a bit. All of a sudden, Ford sat up with a gasp scaring the living daylights out of us all._

" _Oh boy, here we go again." I rolled my eyes under my bangs as the man turned to look at me with a face filled with a mixture of horror, shock, fascination, and wonder._

 _Ford stood up and grabbed one of his instruments, "Arylia? I'm going to need to ask you to hold your hand out."_

 _I cocked an eyebrow, still hidden underneath hair, and crossed my arms, "What happens if I don't?"_

 _Stanley laughed, "I like this kid, doesn't take orders from nobody. But seriously, stick your arm out so poindexter can test you for something."_

" _What?" I asked, irritation seeping into my voice and giving it an edge._

 _Stan pointed at his brother, "I'm going to let_ him _answer that one, no use botching it up and making you hear it twice. Can I have a look at your bracelet?" I shrugged and took it off, causing a wave of discomfort and loss to go through me, and handed it to Stan as Ford grabbed my wrist and pulled some blood._

" _YOWCH! Hey, what the heck?" I pulled my arm away and rubbed at the bleeding point, not expecting that. Ford stared in fascination at a syringe that was filled with strange colored blood. That was another reason my father never liked me; I had silver, black, red, and white blood that sort of swirled like one of those weird abstract paintings you see in a modern art exhibit. For some reason, different parts of the blood did different things. For example, the black portion seemed to burn away anything it touched like an acid while the white part instigated growth and fixed injury… I found that out after a beat down from my father. I had no idea what the silver part did and I was_ pretty _sure that the red was just normal blood._

 _Ford looked at me quizically, "So this is your blood." It was more of a statement than it was a question, but I still nodded in answer. Ford shook his head and walked over to the vending machine that was in the room, then pressed a button on his wristwatch. Suddenly, the vending machine opened to reveal a poorly lit staircase and a dark room below._

" _Whoah, you guys really go overboard with the weirdness stuff." I remarked as I peered down the steps._

 _Ford walked down the steps with confidence, then stopped to turn and look at me, "Well, do you want to get some answers or not?" I cocked an eyebrow and rolled my eyes, but both movements were lost on him as they were under my bangs. I held my hand out to Stan and collected my bracelet, then put it on causing a wave of safety and wholeness to go throughout my being and I let out a sigh of relief and comfort._

 _I walked down the stairs but Ford stopped me, "One more thing, down here we show our eyes; it's a safety precaution that makes sure that none of us are possessed by a demon." I gritted my teeth but moved my bangs back to reveal my strangely colored eyes that I suppose had gotten even stranger because when I looked in a mirror that was hanging from a wall, my eyes had gained small golden flecks._

 _I ran to the mirror and started looking at my irises, "What the heck?"_

 _Ford walked over with concern written all over his face, "Is something wrong?"_

 _I whipped around and pointed in his face, "YEAH there's something wrong! What did your machine do to my eyes?"_

 _Ford's eyebrows furrowed, "I have no idea what you're talking about."_

 _I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, forgetting for a moment that my eyes were viewable, "Sure you don't, no one else stuck needles into my arm or scanned me with weird dohickeys so you're the most probable suspect."_

 _Ford sighed, "What about your eyes has changed? They look the same as they did when I first saw them."_

 _I was boiling with fury, this guy was_ annoying _, "Well my eyes are_ all _violet, not golden, an-" At the mention of golden Ford's eyes darted to my bracelet which had gone back to the silver diamonds and black triangles from when Birch first put it on. "Hey! My face is here, anyways, what did you do that changed them?!" Ford shook his head and pressed another button on his watch to bring an elevator to the doors in front of him. He held an arm out in a "ladies first" gesture that seemed a bit more well mannered than I had expected from him. I stepped into the elevator, swiftly followed by Ford and waited as we listened to some elevator music. Suddenly, the elevator lurched and came to a halt, then opened its doors to reveal a very nice room with pyramid crystals and tarps covering several items._

" _Welcome to my personal study, no one except for my grand nephew Dipper and myself know about this place, and now you. I'm sure that you have plenty of questions and I'm sure that you want to know everything about what's going on, but I need to test your blood before I can tell you anything for sure." Ford turned around and stuck the syringe into a machine that looked like it had seen better years while I looked around the room. There were several strange machines that covered the walls from floor to ceiling and other tarps that seemed to be hiding something important. I reached over to pull one off but felt an electric shock go through my wrist._

" _eeYOWCH! What the heck?" I looked down at my hand to see that I had reached with the bracelet hand and that the triangles on it were slightly red and glowing a bit, almost telling me not to pull the tarp off. I began to feel a strange sensation of danger course through my system and I backed away._

 _Ford looked up from his work and cocked an eyebrow in confusion, "What happened? Did you touch something?"_

 _I rubbed my wrist, "I didn't get a change to; I reached for a tarp and my wrist got a shock." Ford looked at the bracelet and furrowed his brows in worry._

" _Maybe I should have a look at that." He reached for it but yanked his hand back quickly, "OUCH! What in this dimension? Take off the bracelet!" Ford pointed as he noticed that the triangles on the bracelet were beginning to glow an angry red and I had started to worry. The man had no need to tell me to take it off twice, but when I moved to it seemed that it wouldn't come off. The feeling of danger grew in my chest and expanded to my arms and legs and before I knew what was happening I was running into the elevator and pushing the buttons, trying desperately to get out. The machine Ford was messing with beeped and sent out a piece of paper. He went over, ripped out the paper, ran back to the elevator, and pushed a button to send us back up. Meanwhile, I was beginning to have a panic attack, which was unusual as I had never had one before and I was always calm._

 _Eventually the elevator got back to the dark hallway and I tore out of there at a blinding speed. I rushed upstairs and whipped the door to the woods open, but before I was able to get out I was thrown back by an invisible force._

" _No, no, NO! Let me out, please! LET ME OUT!" I screamed as I pushed against the wall of air, tears streaming down my face. I had noticed that the bracelet was glowing brighter and had heated up, burning my wrist a bit. Wendy came over and held me while I cried and whimpered with agony as the feeling inside my chest grew and grew until all I felt was the urge to escape and get outside._

" _-oing on-, -et hel-, -lia are yo-, -EAR ME?" All I heard were pieces and fragments of the conversation before all went dark._

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _I awoke in my bed upstairs to find the sun peeking out from behind the tree line and got ready for school. The feeling of terror had left me and the bracelet was back to normal, leaving me with the question of "what in the universe happened last night?" I ran downstairs, grabbed a breakfast bar to eat, then rushed out the door to catch up with Wendy who was already on the way to school._

" _Arylia! I thought that you were still asleep, shouldn't you be getting rest?" Wendy looked at me with worry as I smoothed my bangs back in front of my eyes, no longer gold-flecked._

" _I'm fine, besides, I don't want to miss the second day of school; my teachers might think that I'm a slacker." I replied as I slowed down and walked beside her in silence._

I was jostled out of my memories as I stumbled onto a sidewalk, obviously we had left the forest and were now in town, almost to the school. While I _did_ want to get to school to show that I wasn't a slacker, I also wanted to see Birch again. He was the first male friend of my age that I had met here, and I wasn't going to lie to myself by saying that he wasn't cute. I was wondering if Tiffany would try to make my life miserable again when I was hit on the back of the head by something. I whipped around to find that devil-girl and her little posse walking down the road to the school smothering their laughter. I rolled my eyes and turned forward, only to bump into someone and fall back.

Before I hit the ground, however, I was caught by none other than Birch, again. I gazed into his shining golden eyes that seemed to catch the light and twist it into rays of mirth as he lifted me up a bit. His warm smile lit up his face as he moved my bangs away from my eyes and peered into their depths. For a moment, I could have sworn that I felt complete, whole, and safe with nothing to worry about. The bracelet on my wrist seemed to warm a bit as he helped me gain my balance and led me to the door. Wendy was walking beside me and saying something, but all I heard was bells ringing in my ears and the rush of blood going into my ears. I smiled slightly as my bangs floated down to meet my eyes, all memory of the previous day's horrors gone.

I should have paid more attention.

 **Bum, bum, BAH! So that's the end of chapter 2, what'd you guys think?**

 **Dipper: When am I going to be in it?**

 **You're going to be in it** _ **really**_ **soon, promise.**

 **Dipper: Triple pinkie swing around swear?**

 **Triple pinkie swing around swear. And with a diamond on top to add a bit more flair!**

 **Mabel: YAY! DIAMONDS!**

 ***whispers to muses* Did she get into the Mabel Juice again?**

 **Bill: Nope, I gave her some of your sister's coffee; Death Wish!**

… **e_e'... RUN! *All muses run and hide* Thanks for all the views, please FFR (follow favorite review) and don't forget to tell others about this thing! *explosion in the distance from Mabel* Oh no, I think she found the Mabel Juice… this will not end well.**


	4. Back For More & Weirdness Galore

***Apocalypse noises* Hey my comets… call 911, we need immediate medical assistance.**

 **Dipper: After Bill gave my twin some coffee, she found the Mabel Juice and went even crazier than Bill usually is… it's not pretty.**

 **Bill: *staggers around with bandage on arm* Pain is no longer hillarious…**

 **It has reached** _ **that**_ **point my comets, now we must hide for our lives and pray that she doesn't find us. I have realized that the last chapter and this chapter may be a bit offensive to people who have experienced panic/anxiety attacks (that was what Arylia went through) or to people who have/had concussions (she will have that in this) Now for the reviews, Dipper?**

 **Dipper: *holds paper with good arm* Here you go.**

 **Thanks *reads* huh... none… that's depressing… *tears fall from eyes* T^T**

 **Bill: *reaches out to comfort* It's okay, the people who don't read are ignorant and the people who didn't review will be getting nightmares from me. *cheshire grin as he imagines the destruction of minds*.**

 **Alright, if you guys want to have a night filled with good dreams tonight, I suggest that you FFR (follow, fav, review).**

 **Mabel: I AM THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION!**

 **WAAAAAHHHH! I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS STUFF EXCEPT THE IDEAS AND OC's, NOW** _ **RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!**_ ***runs from coffee and Mabel Juice crazed Mabel***

I walked down the halls of Gravity Falls High School for what seemed like an eternity, walls sliding around a bit and occasionally two or more of the same person. It felt like my head was going to explode but I wouldn't head back to the Mystery Shack for rest; if I went back I would be trapped again in that place with Stanford who I was pretty sure was up to something, I couldn't remember what though/ Wendy was watching me with a concerned look while Birch had stopped just outside of a room I had never been to before. I noticed that Wendy was saying something, but all I could hear was ringing and the pound of blood in my ears. I looked at her quizzically, but I don't think she saw due to my hair.

I cocked my head slightly, and painfully, and felt something warm and wet slide down my neck, with that my stomach turned over and did somersaults causing acid to go into my mouth. Before I knew what was happening, I was dragged into the strange room. Bright lights blinded me and I felt like time had frozen with me in a very painful position.

As soon as the lights dimmed I was able to see a lady wearing pale blue and a face mask shining a pocket light into my eyes. I looked around to find machines that were going _BEEP BEEP BEEP,_ a jar of cotton balls and sticks next to me, a curtain that blocked the view of the door, and Wendy and Birch sitting on a mattress with a plastic covering. Suddenly, everything felt very bright and painful and my stomach was screaming at me to get to a trashcan, so I followed its directions. For the next five minutes I was coughing out all the contents of my stomach and losing consciousness. I felt someone holding my hair out of the way but I wasn't sure who, and I know someone was trying to calm me down but I was drifting out of the waking world by then.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I awoke to find Birch and Wendy talking with each other and I listened to find out what about.

"-ful if I were you, she's feisty. I don't trust you completely, but you've earned some respect from me for what you did today." Wendy nodded to Birch.

He shrugged and smiled in a way I had never seen him do before, with insanity and a hint of a smirk, "It's nothing, Arylia needed me and I came through. Don't worry, Tiffany and her little demons won't be bothering her anymore. I've been meaning to ask you, what does Arylia think of pendants?"

Wendy looked at him with a bit of suspicion, "Why?"

Birch shrugged and smiled in his normal, quirky way that showed off his set of perfectly straight, white teeth, "I like her, and the class I take after school allows me to make lots of things with metal. I personally prefer to make jewelry or talismans, and I like to see Arylia smile, so I want to make things that will make her smile."

Wendy smiled and shook her head, "She doesn't like gaudy things, but she does like a bit of shine, _especially_ gold and silver. She also doesn't like anything heavy, so don't make something that's super large or weighs a ton. Got that?"

Birch nodded and smiled, "I already made a pendant, I just wanted to know if she would like it. I'll give it to her at lunch if she's up by then, if not then I'll catch you guys on the way home." Wendy smiled and patted him on the back. I closed my eyes again since the world had decided to spin around like a top again and fell back into the warm arms of sleep.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _All around me the world fell and the sky swirled like a bucket of mixed paints, several buildings were walking around while Wendy, Soos, Ford, Stan, and two kids that looked like twins ran to avoid being squished. A maniacal laugh filled the air as I turned around to find one large eye with a vertical slit for a pupil staring at me and peering into my mind. The bracelet on my wrist froze me to the core for a moment, around my neck something seemed to calm my shattered nerves, some item on my forehead seemed to lull me to a sleeping state, and an object on my left ring finger seemed to flow with darkness and pain but at the same time fill me with power unimaginable. Suddenly the world went black and I heard a voice saying something, but I wasn't sure what._

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I awoke with a start and everything seemed much clearer than before. The lady from before with the mask over her face came over.

"Ah, you're awake! You had a concussion, however it seems to be gone now. Go back to class and don't be late, it's almost the end of third hour and you've been in here for most of the day. Now get out, get out!" The crazy lady in the room seemed to be pumping her fists in a motion similar to what the mayor did whenever he ordered anyone to get a person. I rolled my eyes and got up unsteadily, but was pushed out of the nurse's room, I _guessed_ that was what it was, before I had really gained my footing. With that rude farewell I walked all the way to the other side of the school to choir class.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

By the time I had gotten there, the teacher had pretty much wrapped up class and was letting the students talk for the last five minutes of class.

I had barely walked into the room when I was glomped by Birch, "Arylia! I'm so glad you're okay, I don't know what I would have done if you were down for the count." I smiled softly, Birch was crazy some of the time, but in a good way. I pulled myself from his iron grip and laughed a bit, sending small tremors through my head.

"Ow, not laughing again today." I grimaced a bit at the ripping sensation going through my skull.

Birch looked at me with curiosity in his eyes, "Are you alright?"

I nodded, "Yeah, just my head being weird." Birch laughed at that, but not his usual laugh; _this_ laugh was tinged with a bit of insanity, something that I was _not_ used to from him.

Birch shook his head, "You're hilarious." I had no idea what he was talking about, I hadn't meant to make a joke and I couldn't find one in my words.

I rolled my eyes under my bangs, "Yeah, my pain is hilarious."

Birch looked at me with a confused expression, "Other people's pain is hilarious, but not yours." I looked at him sideways and shrugged, Birch could be really strange sometimes. The bell rang, signaling the end of the hour, and I was on my way out when my legs were knocked out from under me.

"WHOAH!" I shouted as I fell, only to be caught by, you guessed it, Birch.

He smiled, showing off those sharp, pearly whites, "We need to stop doing this." I blushed slightly and nodded, annoyed by my reaction and by whatever had knocked me down. I looked sideways to see Tiffany with smoke practically rushing out of her ears, I found the culprit. Birch helped me up and I brushed my jeans off, then walked past the diva queen who looked as if she was ready to explode.

"Careful honey, your hot-headedness might make that spray-on-tan melt off." I smirked as I saw her mouth move without making a sound and her little diva posse confused that someone just told their ringleader off.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

"She seriously tried to pull that off, even after this morning?" Wendy asked, shock exploded onto her face.

I nodded and rolled my eyes, "I'm not actually that surprised; if a girl can give me a concussion then she can most certainly try to make me fall. But this is the third time in two days, can't the girl have something better to do?" We walked to our lunch table and sat down, then joined by Birch who had brought something in a box.

"Hey man, what's up?" Wendy asked as she moved her pine tree cap a bit to see Birch as he sat down.

"Up is relative, there's no real up in the universe, everything's up and everything's down." Birch smirked at his explanation that had elicited a laugh from both me and Wendy, who was a very hard nut to crack.

When Wendy calmed down I pointed to the box, "What's that?" Birch smirked again, this time showing off his teeth. My previous fears about him being a vampire resurfaced but I pushed them back down because I knew that vampire's didn't exist.

Jinx.

He picked up the box and held it out to me as if it were cinderella's slipper, "This is a gift for you, I hope you like it." I smiled softly, then took the box and opened it. Inside was an amulet with several crystals on it hanging from a sparkling silver chain that seemed to hold a light of its own. The crystals all seemed to glitter with a different color and held a comforting glow to them.

I gasped with surprise and took it out, "It's _beautiful_!" I held it up and clasped it behind my neck. As I did, this wave of peace slid over me and my whole body felt much lighter than it had before, as if an invisible weight had just been taken off my shoulders. I looked down to see that the pendant was glowing a pale white while my bracelet was glowing an angry silver. I looked back up at my two friends who were watching the jewelry in surprise and wonder. Suddenly, the temperature in the room plummeted, just like yesterday, and the room was filled with a bright white light. Suddenly I felt very nauseous and I ran into the bathroom to keep from throwing up in the cafeteria in front of everyone. I ran in, hair flying back, and saw something that shook me down to my core; my eyes that had been a solid violet just this morning, were swirled with gold.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

About thirty minutes later and the school had been evacuated because the temperature hadn't gone back up, Tiffany and her group were being annoying overall, I was still feeling pretty nauseous, my eyes were still violet and gold mixed, and my jewelry was still glowing, but that wasn't the worst part about the whole day; the worst part was probably the fact that I couldn't take either piece off. Wendy and I had agreed to head back to the Mystery Shack and, with much opposition from me, let Ford check out what was going on with me and the jewelry. We were walking down the forest path when all of a sudden I heard someone shouting.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER YOU JERKS!" I looked to Wendy in surprise and shock to see that she had a smile on her face, then she took off. I rolled my eyes and ran right after her to find a group of gnomes holding down a teenage girl with long brown hair and braces wearing a pink shooting star sweater. Right across from them a teen who looked almost exactly like the girl except he had short brown hair and was wearing an orange shirt, a navy blue vest, and a fuzzy eskimo hat.

I looked between the groups and stuck my hands on my hips, "Okay, what do you little punks think you're doing?" At the sound of my voice, the lead gnome who I had seen take that squirrel bath (still scarred for life) turned to me.

"Oh hey! Um, yeah. We found our queen again, so you can go back to your normal life, c'mon Mabel, let's go get married!"

The girl being held down shouted at him, "I'm never marrying you you jerks! Now let go of me! Ow! The hair, the hair!" The boy standing in front of the gnomes grabbed a leaf blower and turned it to reverse, sucking in the leader, then pushed it to full power to blow the gnome all the way into the forest. Without their leader, the gnomes were freaking out and running back into the forest with terrified cries of panic.

Wendy helped Mabel back up and took off her hat, then held it out to the boy, "Good to see you again man, glad that you got rid of those punks, they've been a bit crazy since you left." The boy smiled, took off his hat, switched with Wendy, and put on the cap. Suddenly, the bracelet on my wrist burned and I let out a cry of pain. I looked down at it to see that the triangles were an angry red and the diamonds had faded to a darkened silver. I looked back up at Wendy who was looking in worry at the bracelet.

She shook her head, "I am _so_ yelling at Birch for giving you that thing. Dipper, go get Ford, tell him that the bracelet is acting up again. Mabel, get Soos and Stan, tell them the same thing." The two nodded and ran into the shack while Wendy turned back to me, "Okay, we probably can't get into the shack, but we can get as close as possible. Can you walk?" I nodded and stood up with effort, my head was killing me again and the burn of the bracelet wasn't helping. After a while we made it to the porch but were stopped from going any further by a bubble with strange symbols on it, no surprise to Wendy. Dipper opened the door and ran out quickly followed by Ford who was carrying several instruments and crystals.

Ford stopped as he saw my necklace, "Where did you get that?" I shook my head and leaned my head back with another groan of pain, the bracelet was really burning by now and my head was practically trying to kill me with pain. All of a sudden I heard a voice whispering in my ear.

 _Do you want me to take it away?_ After hearing that all I could think about was the pain, I couldn't pay attention to Ford who had pulled out a camera, I couldn't pay attention to Wendy moving my hair away from my eyes, and I couldn't even pay attention to how Dipper was checking instruments and me with this cute little expression on his face. Suddenly the stabbing in my head and my wrist became too much to bear, _yes, yes, take it away!_ After that, everything went black.

 **Well, that was interesting.**

 **Bill: Yes, now if you don't mind,** _ **we gotta go!**_

 **Dipper: Mabel should be calming down within about 72 hours at most, so we'll be back fairly soon.**

 **Thanks for the update Dipper! *stares at him with dreamy eyes* Okay guys, don't forget to FFR (FollowFavoriteReview), not necessarily in that order. Ciao for now~**


	5. What Happened Here?

**Hey my comets! I am** _ **so**_ **sorry that I haven't posted recently, I had a** _ **HUGE**_ **case of writer's block.**

 **Dipper: Don't worry, it happens to everyone.**

 **Anyways, Mabel had calmed down and is waiting here to say she's sorry.**

 **Mabel: *comes forward in a straightjacket* Sorry. Can I take this off now?**

 **Dipper: *rolls eyes* Don't drink coffee** _ **and**_ **Mabel Juice and we won't have to put you in it!**

 **Mabel: But I wanna have** _ **coffee!**_

 **Well, you're too young for coffee. *sips from mug***

 **Bill: Um, is that coffee?**

 ***looks down* Noooooo, it's es** _ **presso!**_

 **Dipper: *sighs* Arylia Scry doesn't own Gravity Falls or any of its characters-**

 **Even if they** _ **are**_ **super awesome. *glomps muses***

 **Mabel: Why are you drinking coffee when I just got back from destroying the world from drinking it? *peeks out window to show destroyed wasteland***

 ***Sigh* T^T Nobody reviewed again and the there were only a few messages the website and they were from one person requesting a storyline, PotatoO'Brien (thank you), and that someone followed the story, THANK YOU** **INGEN Hunter** **! Why do my comets not review?**

 **All Muses:*hug Arylia Scry***

 ***Sniff* Thanks guys.**

 **Bill: If you guys don't review… *turns into eldritch form*** _ **you will pay!**_ ***turns back into human form***

 **Alright, on with the story!**

 **Dipper: WAIT!**

 **What?**

 **Dipper: You have to do the reviews!**

 **UUUUUUGH, fine. *sticks out hand* gimme *takes list from Dipper* Well then.**

 **PotatoO'Brien: OMG U LIKE ME IM CRYING . IM DIEING. IM LITTERALLY NOT LYING. I WISH I COULD SQIEEZE U TY ALSO GREAT CHAPTER! KEEP IT UP SO I CAN LOVE U AND BE AMAZED! MAKE A ORIGINAL BOOK, THEN U WILL BE MY FAVE REAL AUTHOR, SCRU ERIN HUNTER!**

 **Whoah nelly, thanks for making my day with this amazing review, but do you** _ **really**_ **need to screw Erin Hunter? I mean, she's one of my fav authors and doesn't need the screwing (darn you flamers!)**

 **PotatoO'Brien (Part Deux): stupid pop girls. PUNCH HER IN THE CHEST AREA AND CLAIM ITS REVENGE ON ALL THE AFRICANS SHE STARVED. Thats what i would do if I was involved with the evil girl Tiffany. Also, I ship Acryla X Soos becuz Birtch is probs using her to make girls jello, then he is gonna dump her. Tiffany: how would being fabulous starve children?!**

 **me: You could keep them warm with all your hot air!**

 **#TIFFROASTED2017**

 **|O0O|** _ **ROASTED**_ **! Also, did you mean** _ **Arylia**_ **or did you purposely spell it like that… you know, just wondering...**

 **PotatoO'Brien (Part Trois): Tadd Tadd Tadd! Dont take Tadd's gifts, they will give you a lift. Now calm down, remember fear this town. Stars are shooting flowers are blooming. Pines are crying, Get rid of Tadd's gifts. (Tadd bit of a riddle there, great chapter. Remember just dont take anything from Tadd)**

… **Ummmm, I can** _ **kinda**_ **see where you're getting the Tadd from, but no. Thanks for not actually using the name in this one, really awesome! Also, pretty cool review, although you're a** _ **bit**_ **off on that… if you check out my profile you might see something that will give a bit of a hint on what's going on in this.**

When I came to, I found everyone staring at me with mixed expressions of terror, horror, and disgust.

"Yeesh, what happened? You guys look like you just saw one of Robbie's zombie collections." I shuddered at the thought, he had tried to show me them the second day I had been here and I was scarred about as much as I was by the squirrel bath (you can tell that this event will be brought up several times).

Wendy tapped me on the shoulder, "Umm, do you remember _anything_ of what just happened?" I cocked an eyebrow and realized that my eyes were uncovered.

"Gah! When did _this_ happen?" I shook my head to cover my eyes but was stopped by Dipper who was holding my bangs away from them. "Uh, dude? What are you doing?"

Dipper sighed in relief, "Bill's gone."

I cocked my eyebrow again, something that was quickly becoming one of my favorite moves, and asked a question that would stump the greatest minds in the world, "Whaaaaaaaa?" Wendy had told me a bit about the dream demon, but only that he was responsible for a lot of trouble that she and the rest of the town had gone through during the end of summer. Honestly, I thought he sounded like a pretty cool with all those powers, even _if_ he was a bit twisted, but I guessed that it wasn't a common opinion.

Stanford shook his head, "That's not important right now, just… just take off the jewelry and come inside." I rolled my eyes, obviously Wendy hadn't told him that I couldn't remove the accessories.

"I would if I could, but I can't. I just wish Birch hadn't given me this stuff, or at least made different jewelry." Ford cocked his eyebrow and Dipper got a look in his eye that I had seen in _several_ people's eyes when I was back at school in California. _Aww,_ I thought, _he's got a little crush! But, I seriously doubt that we'd work together well, besides, I already have a thing for Birch… wait, what?_ Before I could follow that string of thought, or even determine where it even came from in the first place, Ford asked me a question.

"Wait, who's Birch?" He looked down at his instruments and moved some crystals closer to me.

I blushed slightly at the mention of his name, "Birch is… a friend at school in all my classes whose been giving me the jewelry. But I'm pretty sure that he didn't mean to make it magic or whatever." At these words Ford seemed to be a bit lost for words at the thought that a friend at school was making me magical jewelry, and Dipper seemed to be scowling.

Mabel, who was sitting quietly on the porch this whole time finally spoke up, "If the jewelry is magic, then it has to be made that way; Dipper's been doing some magical studies back in Piedmont and I've been helping a bit with the stuff that he's not interested in, like jewelry! Your friend would have had to _knowingly_ make it that way, or he would have gotten it from somewhere else."

Wendy snapped her fingers and pointed at me, "Remember how on the first day he gave you that bracelet? He said that the whole room freezing was interesting." I didn't really like where this was going, Birch _couldn't_ have known that the stuff he was giving me was magic… right?

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Stan, "Arylia, I don't think you should be taking anymore gifts from this Birch guy, it sounds like he's up to no good with the magic jewelry he's giving you. In fact, don't talk to him at all. If he's giving you stuff that doesn't come off and that has a bunch of triangles on it, you shouldn't be messing with him." My jaw dropped, who was _this_ guy to tell me who to and who not to hang out with, he was just like my, erm, father! When I closed my mouth I ground my teeth together and stalked off into the forest, so much for relaxing at home with Soos and Wendy.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I walked through the pine trees to the river that ran nearby those strange crystals that made things bigger and smaller. I had crushed a few into powder a while back and then sprinkled it all over some squirrels as an experiment and they had made the squirrels glow different colors. Only my second day at school and all of a sudden people were freaking out about _some guy_ just because the jewelry glowed and wouldn't come off. All of a sudden I stopped in the middle of a grove; I should have been a bit more afraid of what was going on, but I wasn't, and _that_ scared me. Out of everything, the jewelry seemed to be the _least_ terrifying thing about this place, second only to Birch himself. I sighed and leaned against his namesake, suddenly tired from everything that was going on in this twisted, messed up town, then fell into the open arms of sleep.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _All around me the world fell and the sky swirled like a bucket of mixed paints, several buildings were walking around while Wendy who was wearing a turquoise dress with a long slit on the side, Soos, Ford, Stan, Mabel who was wearing a strange hot pink dress with lots of feathers, and Dipper who was wearing a vibrant blue tux ran to avoid being squished. A maniacal laugh filled the air as I turned around to find one large eye with a vertical slit for a pupil staring at me and peering into my mind. The bracelet on my wrist froze me to the core for a moment, around my neck something seemed to calm my shattered nerves, when I looked down I was able to recognize it as the amulet that Birch gave me, some item on my forehead seemed to lull me to a sleeping state, and an object on my left ring finger seemed to flow with darkness and pain but at the same time fill me with power unimaginable._

 _I turned and ran through town to find destruction everywhere I went and people screaming in agony around me as I darted my eyes around, noticing that my hair was away from my bangs. As I passed a shop with a window still intact I froze in horror, then went back in horror as I looked at my reflection. In the window I saw myself wearing a long dress that I couldn't quite see clearly but somehow knew was a vivid gold, the bracelet and amulet that Birch had given me as well as a circlet on my head that had diamonds and topaz embedded in it's golden hold. That wasn't what scared me so bad, what had caught me in the thralls of horror was the color of my eyes: no longer the vibrant violet color that I had always lived with, but a glowing gold that held no warmth, only a crazed gleam that reminded me of Birch for some reason. As I stared at the image, the eye I had seen earlier came up behind me and I screamed._

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I woke up with a start, surprise and fear laced in all of my bones as I stood up and looked around to see the sun beginning to paint the clouds in the sky a deep rose and vibrant orange. Cicadas started to play and a few birds began their songs of the night as I walked through the forest back to the shack, after all, that was what could be considered my home now. I brushed my bangs away from my eyes to see the lush foliage and the forest creatures rushing about in their full splendor, admitting to myself in a rare moment of truth that it was hard keeping my eyes hidden and keeping the world hidden in return. As a crystal white fairy tern (how did it get there?) hopped to one of the branches and watched me, I was attacked by a midnight black raven that seemed to be cawing at me in anger. I rushed away from the angry bird, sure that I had just gotten a bit too close to its nest, and ran up to the Mystery Shack. I took a deep breath, sure that I would end up regretting this, and opened the door to find Dipper going over some kinds of paper with Ford in the middle of the floor, both with backs turned to the door.

"If Bill's back, we need to be ready. What have you been learning over the summer?" Ford asked.

Dipper scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I've been studying about magical charms and talismans, as well as a bit on magical history and creatures. Mabel's been learning about magical accessories because she thought that the ring she saw on the cover of a book looked cool."

Ford chuckled and stood up, then pushed some buttons on his watch, "I've been wondering about how she knew about jewelry when she mentioned it earlier. I'm still surprised that Bill didn't notice that I caught it all on camera, I just hope he doesn't find out about it. Come on, I need to do a bit of testing."

Dipper looked down at his wrist, "When do you think Arylia will be back?"

Ford shrugged and chuckled a bit, "Who knows, but you'd better stop making that crush of yours so obvious. If Bill finds out about it, he could use it to his advantage." Dipper hung his head and muttered something. "I know, its hard to keep your feelings hidden. But its only until we can defeat Bill once and for all." And with that, the pair of nerds went down into the basement, shutting the door behind them but leaving a few of their items, _including_ a digital camera with a very large screen. I crept up to the camera, picked it up, and pressed play.

 **And** _ **that**_ **, my comets, is where we're going to end this chapter.**

 **Bill: Aww, c'mon! Next chapter, next chapter, next chapter, next chapter!**

… **-_- … no.**

 **Dipper: You'd** _ **better**_ **not wait a month before posting the next chapter again!**

 **I won't *whispers* I will (somewhere, Gideon just perked up his head)**

 **Mabel: Anyways, the next chapter should be easy since its just the video of what happened when Arylia blacked out.**

 **Ciao for now my comets! And don't forget to FFR! (FollowFavoriteReview)**


	6. Fury is SO Your Color

**Hey my comets! So, I was checking out and have been, er, sidetracked.**

 **Bill: You could say that again.**

 **What? Sidetracked?**

 **Bill: Yep.**

 **Dipper: Um… shouldn't you be getting reviews read and responded to?**

 **Oh, yeah… sorry… scatterbrained today… here we go!**

 **Asilan Renve: Well ****. I never thought I'd get hooked in a Gravity Falls OC x Bill fic so easily. That goes to show this is an amazing story**

 **Aww, thank you! Ummm, just a quick thing. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't curse in the reviews, that's just a writer request here. I want it to be** ** _relatively_** **kid friendly… so no cursing please. But seriously… Bill hasn't even** ** _begun_** **to show off his stripes quite yet. Hope you keep reading and that you'll keep reviewing!**

 **Amber lee pines: I dare Bill to eat broccoli.**

 **Bill: Whaaaaaaaaa?**

 **Um, I'm pretty sure that you don't want that… like, ever… broccoli is gross...**

 **Bill: *Cheshire grin* Too bad, I** ** _never_** **back away from a challenge.**

 ***shrugs* Okay, it's your funeral. *hands broccoli to Bill***

 **Bill: Ew… um, maybe not.**

 **What? You said you never back down from a challenge.**

 **Bill: *eats broccoli* Ugh, I think I'm gonna barf.**

 **Told ya, although, you usually only eat the nightmares of people who don't review to my stories usually… so that might be why.**

 **Bill: *runs to bathroom where retching noises can be heard***

 **Uh, I'm not using that room anymore.**

 ***retching noises continuing***

 **Sheesh, what is** ** _up_** **with that guy?**

 **SolangeloUniverse: This is a really good story and hope you update soon. I really want to see what was on the tape!**

 **Dipper: Well, you're about to find out. And just a heads up, I would never forget the camera like that!**

 **Yes you would!**

 **Dipper: I'm not that stupid!**

 **Oh yeah? You didn't realize that you had Mabel's backpack and that she had yours in** ** _Dipper and Mabel Vs the Future._**

 **Dipper:…**

 **What, no comment?**

 **Dipper: I refuse to even honor that with an answer.**

 **Um…** ** _that_** **was an answer.**

 **Dipper: dang it.**

 **Well then… I'm gonna start the story now. As a warning, there will be a flashback as well as the video (as promised). The flashback will be in itallics and the video will be in bold (its also gonna be in the camera's POV because that's just how it will work). Mabel?**

 **Mabel: Arylia Scry does NOT own Gravity Falls or its characters, only the idea for this story and the OC's in it.**

 **Now on with the show! *grabs popcorn* The Arylia in this story is gonna be in for SUCH a surprise, and so are you reader!**

 ***retching noises coming from the bathroom***

 **What on earth is going on in there?**

I paused the video and walked to the room hidden behind some wallpaper that I used as my quiet room after a long day of work. After all, I was pretty sure that no one would fine me there and I would be able to watch the video in peace. As I stalked down the hallway silently, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and I ducked into another room. I shut to door as quietly as possible and realized that I had gone into a pretty bad hiding spot: Soos's office. A jackalope head hung from a wall and a very large portrait of Stan ungraced the spot above a desk at the far edge of the room. A large file cabinet overflowing with arrest warrants and warnings was on the right side of the room while a box with security footage and an old-style tv were on the left. The footsteps continued until they stopped about where the door was and I held my breath.

"Where do you think Arylia is?" A voice that sounded like Wendy asked from behind the door. I let out the breath silently and felt a twinge of guilt in my gut; I probably shouldn't have run away like that.

"Who cares? That kid's just trouble, anyone with purple eye is trouble, and anyone with purple _and_ gold eyes are even more trouble. We should be glad that she's gone." Stanley replied and the twinge of guilt vanished instantaneously.

"How could you say that? Arylia's been a great help to the shack, _and_ she's fixed a bunch of the things wrong with this pile of wood that even _Soos_ couldn't fix! She found a way to fix the heater using only gum and a few pieces of aluminum and copper, she got out advertising so that we could have more people show up at no cost to us, she's been nothing but helpful the entire time I've known her, how could you say that she's trouble?"

Stan huffed, "She's got violet eyes, do you even know what that means?!"

I would bet almost anything that Wendy rolled her eyes at the old geezer, "No, I don't. You and Ford haven't told us why we should be freaking out, and other than her recent episode outside, I don't see a reason to."

Stan sighed, "Violet eyes mean supernatural. Either that or a disease that causes pale skin and silver or light purple eyes, but her eyes are too vibrant for that. We found a book in China-"

"You guys went to China?!" Wendy interupted.

"Yes, but in China we found a book that explained signs of supernatural beings, one of which was about purple eyes. Purple eyes usually mean that danger and or demons will be coming. _That's_ why we should be freaking out. Based on the evidence of the past few days, I think we should be way more careful than we are right now."

There was no sound for a while, until Wendy broke the silence, "I trust Arylia, nothing you say is going to change that. I'm gonna go look for her, and you can either come or stay here and be a grouch." With that statement, I heard a set of footsteps leave and after a moment another set followed. Once everything was silent, I crept out into the hallway and walked to the hidden room I had set up. As I opened the door, colored light flooded the hall from the special light I had set up for my safe space. I walked into the room to see the small crystal sculptures of angels and mermaid, dragons and unicorns, Wendy and Soos, as well as a small sculpture of me I had made all along a windowsill that was covered with a silver scarf embroidered with violet diamonds that I had gotten when Wendy and I went shopping at the Gravity Falls Mall.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _"C'mon Wendy! Let's go in there." I called back to the red-head who was peering into Winter Wonders, even though it wasn't even fall yet._

 _Wendy looked over at me, then at the store I was pointing at, "Really Ary, Shining Star? That place is for people with a ton of money ot burn, I only have fifty dollars for everything you need."_

 _I looked back at her, "C'mon Wendy, I have a good feeling about this place."_

 _Wendy rolled her eyes, "Fine, have it your way. But I'm not getting you the latest fashions or anything like that." I rolled my eyes in response and headed into the store. Inside was a clear quartz floor that refracted the light coming from the multi-colored crystal chandeliere above, causing a rainbow of light to bouce around the room to show off manequins wearing some of the clothes in the store. In the back was a blonde girl and a brunette woman who was trying on some very shiny stilletos with lots of studs on._

 _"Mother, do we_ really _need to get those?" the girl asked as she typed away on her phone._

 _"Of course darling, the Northwest family always gets the best shoes for every occasion!" The woman replied as she strutted around right for a place that had a wet floor sign._

 _"Mother! Watch out!" The girl shouted as the woman slipped and her shoes flew off her feet, crashing into the rope that held the chandelier, and causing the rope to snap as the girl walked directly under where it was headed to help her mother. There was no time to think and I just reacted by slamming into her and pushing her out of the way before the fixture crashed into the ground with the sound of a shattering mirror and cutting me with several crystal shards._

 _"Oh my word! Pacifica! Are you alright?" The woman stood up and ran to her daughter who I was peeling myself off of._

 _The girl looked up at her mother, then at me, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. You saved me, who are you?"_

 _I checked to make sure my hair was in front of my eyes, "Um, I'm Arylia. Nice to meet you, although I would have preferred to meet you in a different way, this way is fine too." The girl cracked a smile and Wendy rushed over to us._

 _"Arylia! Are you okay? What were you thinking?! We are getting out of here_ right now _. Pacifica? What are you doing here, I thought that you lost your fortune due to Weirdmaggedon."_

 _Pacifica rolled her eyes, "We did, but then we discovered some oil reserves and got our fortune back."_

 _Pacifica's mother looked at me with disdain, then with gratitude, "Thank you Arylia for saving my only daughter, how can I ever repay you?" I looked around the store and found a silver scarf with purple diamonds emproidered into it right next to a gold one with black triangles embroidered in it. The golden scarf gave me a feeling of fear and regret while the silver one gave me a feeling of hope and joy. Then I looked back at the chandeliere and all the crystals that had shattered all over the floor._

 _I looked back at Pacifica's mother, "Well, you could buy the chandeliere and the silver scarf over there and then send it to the Mystery Shack."_

 _The woman snapped her fingers, "Done. Fracois, go buy that chandeliere and all the crystals on it as well as the silver scarf over there, then send it to the Mystery Shack post-haste!"_

 _A black haired man wearing a tux appeared, "Yes madam. Are you sure that you do not want the gold scarf? It is much nicer than the silver one." The man looked at me while he said this, and I could have sworn that his eyes flashed yellow for a moment._

 _I shook my head, "Nope, I want the silver one. It goes well with my skin tone and my hair. Plus, the purple diamonds are pretty cool." The man hesitated, then nodded and went over to a register where a few clerks were arguing over who was going to tell the boss about the light fixture._

 _I turned to Wendy, "See, told you there was a good feeling to this place!"_

 _Wendy laughed, "Yeah, I guess. But seriously, that was pretty epic how you saved Pacifica like that. Guess you were just at the right place at the right time."_

 _I laughed, "Yeah, that would be the first time that's happened to me. Usually I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time, and usually I do the wrong things too. This is a nice change of pace, who knows, my luck might be finally turning around; I met you and Soos after all." At that the two of us laughed for a while until we left the store and bought some clothes at a different store along with school supplies._

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I smiled at the memory, that was a few days before school started and all of this craziness began, although I was sort of regretting not asking for the gold scarf as well, if only to put it the room Ford and Stan were staying in to scare them silly. I smiled at the thought of their faces if I had done that, then frowned at the mystery of what my 'episode' from earlier today was. I turned around and shut the door, making sure to lock it, then sat down in a fluffy purple beanbag I made out of one of Wendy's old blankets that she gave me and pressed the play button again.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 **Arylia lay on the ground flailing as Wendy held onto her, jewelry glowing brightly with a golden light that seemed to warp the area around it like when heat rises from concrete into the air. Mabel crept closer, trying to find a way to hold her down without hurting her too much, and without hurting her** ** _self_** **too much.**

 **All of a sudden, Arylia screamed at an earsplitting pitch and shouted, "Yes, yes, take it away!" With that exclamation she calmed and stopped moving. Mabel took that opportunity to grab her by the arms while Wendy cradled her head.**

 **Dipper walked into view, "What was that about Great Uncle Ford?"**

 **Off camera, Ford's voice answered, "I don't know, but I have a feeling that's not the worst of it." Suddenly Arylia shuddered and she let out a huge gasp, except it wasn't in her voice. She sat up ramrod straight and flung Mabel off into a tree, then stood up and brushed her hair from her eyes to reveal glowing golden orbs with vertical slits.**

 **"Hey, hey, hey! Did you guys miss me?" She stuck her finger by her mouth in an atempt at being cute, "Admit it, you missed me." Dipper gasped and took a fighting stance while Wendy and Stan who had circled around rushed Arylia and grabbed her.**

 **Arylia rolled her eyes, "Do you** ** _really_** **think you can hold me back?"**

 **To demonstrate, she flung them off and stalked up to Dipper, "Heya Pine Tree. Just came to give you a message: stay away from Arylia. She's mine, and there's nothing you can do about it. Just a few more trinkets and she'll fully come around, then I can** ** _finally_** **get my hands on this stupid rock! And** ** _you_** **Sixer,"**

 **She turned towards the camera, but looked above it, "you'd better back off. I don't like it when my stuff gets messed with, capice?" With that Arylia smiled a ghastly grin and grabbed something off camera, then brought it to view. It was a handful of gems that looked like they were glowing with an otherworldly light. She waved them a bit before she crushed them and released the dust onto the grass which then shimmered with crystal dust. Wendy, Stan, and Mabel were creeping from behind her in a trapping formation.**

 **Ford's voice shook with anger, "Bill! Leave Arylia alone, she's got nothing to do with this."**

 **"Ha! That's what you think Sixer, she's on my new zodiac, which means I have full claim to her. I've got** ** _big_** **plans for** ** _this_** **meatsack."**

 **Dipper squinted his eyes in confusion, "New zodiac? What are you** ** _talking_** **about?"**

 **"Haha, hillarious, you actually think I'm gonna tell you? HA! But remember! Reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, BYE!" With that exclamation, Arylia shuddered and her eyes began to swirl with hints of violet until all gold was washed away by a purple flood. As the color changed, her jewelry stopped glowing and her body was racked by shudders until she stopped and fell in a heap on the grass, chest rising and falling slowly.**

 **Arylia's eyes suddenly opened, purely violet once more, "Yeesh, what happened? You look like you just saw one of Robbie's zombie collections."**

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I stared at the screen as the video ended and I went back a bit to view myself when I had glowing golden eyes. Suddenly, the door swished open and I whipped around to see the horrified expression on Dipper's face as well as the grim one on Ford's. Not far behind came Mabel, Soos, and Wendy, all three with expressions of guilt and shame, then came Stan who had a smooth poker face.

I stood up and tossed them the camera, "When were you going to tell me?"

Ford stepped forward, "Arylia, let me explain."

I interupted him, fury seeping into every part of my being and my wrist burning with heat, "Explain what? That I was possessed by an evil dream demon that terrorized the town? That I'm 'his stuff'? That my purple eyes mean that demons and danger are coming?" At this Stan gained a surprised expression, "That I'm on some kind of evil, magical zodiac? Just _try_ explaining that!" I was seeing red by this point and I pushed past them all and walked to the door, then stopped and turned back to face them.

"Ya know, I was just starting to like it here; I almost considered you guys my-." I choked and held back tears that they couldn't see, "my family. But family doesn't keep secrets, _especially_ if they're about demons and magic and supernatural stuff. I might come back for my stuff, I might not. Either way, you aren't seeing me again." I whipped around and was out the door before anyone could reply. As I stepped off the porch and onto the lawn, I gazed down at the ground where the crystals I had shattered during my blackout. I sighed and swept my fingers across the dust, collecting the shimmering substance on my fingertips. I finally let out the tears that I was holding back and I stood up, then walked down to the path back to town a bit when all of a sudden, Birch jumped out at me.

"Whoah! What are you doing here?" I asked, jumping back from him as he fell from behind a tree.

Birch gave me one of his dazling smiles, "I stopped by to see how you were, you know, concussion-that-strangely-healed-with-no-signs-of-it-ever-being-there-in-the-first-place and all."

I gave a weak laugh, "Yeah, hehe, maybe I didn't even _have_ a concussion."

Birch shook his head, "Nope, you definitely had a concussion. How'd you get better so quickly?"

"Um, lots of rest?" I tried, still not sure what _exactly_ happened

"Hey, why did you give me magical jewelry?" I decided that I might as well get _some_ answers, and that they would be on _my_ terms.

Birch looked at me quizically, "Whadaya mean? Those aren't magic, unless you count magically beautiful. But I didn't cast a spell on them or anything."

I cocked an eyebrow, something that was lost on him due to my hair (I probably should have done something about that, like get a new signature move that _someone could actually see_ ), "Uh huh, then why can't I take these things off?" Birch cocked an eyebrow and motioned with his hand to let him see the bracelet, so I put my hand in his and he tried to slide the bracelet off. It wouldn't budge.

Birch squinted, "Huh. Let me try to take off the necklace." I turned around and he messed with the clasp a bit, "Hm, I dunno why it's not coming off, it was specially made _to_ come off easier."

I growled in frustration and kicked a birch tree that was behind me, "URGH! Why can't I find out _anything_!"

Birch just watched me while I continued to kick the tree, "Ok, maybe its just me, but _maybe_ you should calm down, just a bit."

I whipped around, "I _am_ calm! I'm just _really_ annoyed that I haven't gotten _any_ answers to _any_ of my questions _at all_!" I realized I was shouting and rubbed the back of my head, "I guess I _do_ need to calm down a bit."

Birch smiled, "I know just the right place, follow me." He turned and walked back into the forest and even though it was getting dark, and against my better judgement, I followed.

 **Well, well, well, what do we have here? Why is Arylia following a guy who has been giving her magical jewelry that won't come off, in the middle of the night, right after she found out what happened during her blackout?**

 **Dipper: Um,** ** _you're_** **why she's doing all that, you're the author.**

 **Oh yeah, right. Anyways, I really hope you guys like this chapter! Remember to FFR (FollowFavoriteReview), and-**

 ***retching noises coming from the bathroom***

 **Seriously, what did he eat? I'm pretty sure by now that it** ** _wasn't_** **the broccoli, so what could it be? Tell me in your reviews what you think it is and I'll tell you next chapter after I ask the idiot what it was. Ciao for now!**


	7. Lover Boy is at it Again

**Hey my comets! So, I'm** _ **REALLY**_ **sorry that I haven't been adding to this story, but I've had no inspiration and I've been really sick and I've JUST gotten better and I'm sooooo** _ **SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!**_ ***runs into a corner and cries***

 **Dipper:... She's really sorry guys.**

 **To prove it, I'm gonna write an EXTRA long chapter.**

 ***retching noises coming from bathroom***

… **e_e' … yes, I know what you're all thinking, he's been in there since the last chapter *cough* months ago *cough*. Yes my comets, he's been throwing up all that time, and no, I haven't checked because I feel like he needs some privacy. Anyways, I've got to get to the reviews now. Several people must have been waiting to get their turn in the story. Dipper? *takes list* Thank you.**

 **Star Windbreaker:** **HEY YOU! WRITE TEN MORE CHAPTERS OK! THIS IS WAY TO AWESOME TO NOT HAVE MORE! Ary REALLY has a crush on Birch. You know who he is anyway. we think it's Bill, but he is a REALLY good actor then. I mean REALLY Bill! If you are Birch, STOP ACTING!**

 **Bill: NEVER! MUA HA HA HA HA HA!**

 **OOH! What if Mabel put some Mabel Juice on the Broccoli?!**

 **Bill: I HOPE NOT!**

 **Anyway, good story! I LOVE the cool things happening to Ary, and TWO more pieces of jewelry left! WRITE MORE!**

 **Your number 1 fan, Star Windbreaker!**

 **Oh. My. Gosh. You actually did it. Comets, this is my sister, Star Windbreaker (not actually her real name) and she may or may not be showing up later *tee hee* Alrighty. (Journal) Number 1, I will probably write 10 more chapters, but they will definitely be slower burning than previously because I think my writing has seriously improved. (Journal) Number 2, Birch may or may not be Bill. (Journal) Number 3, I don't think that Mabel put Mabel Juice on the broccolli… did you?**

 **Mabel: *whistling while moving away***

… **#.#' … Well then… okay…. Finally, (Journal) Number 4, how do you know there are only two more pieces of jewelry left? I might just have a surprise waiting in store. *tee hee***

 **All muses minus Bill: *gulp***

 **EMObillcipher89: Gas-station sushi!**

 **Loving thes story…**

 **I'm confused; is Birch Bill or not!? I thought he was at first, but now Birch is denying the magic jewelry...Birch is using trickery, isn't he?...looking forward to the next chapter, bbyyyyyyyyeee!**

 **Okay, first of all, I can't tell you if Birch is Bill or not (you guys have to wait for a while, maybe five or ten chapters). Second of all, this is the next chapter, so no more waiting! Mabel?**

 **Mabel: Sure! Arylia does not nor has ever owned Gravity Falls.**

 **Alright, before we start this chapter, I want to make a public apology to anyone who's in or has ever been in an abusive relationship with an alcoholic, it's not a laughing matter comets… on with the story!**

I walked beside Birch for what felt like hours through a forest of pines, twisting the flame-hot dagger within my heart once again from their betrayal. _Maybe they were right to not show me the video, I mean, I reacted just the way they thought I would. No, that doesn't excuse it, I had a right to know! … and yet…_

"Penny for your thoughts?" I looked up at Birch, smiling at me from the top of a log. It was growing dark, and the fading rays of sunlight caught his hair in a blaze of golden glory. His eyes shone with a mischievous laugh hidden in their saffron depths. That just made Birch more handsome, and somehow more down to earth than he had been before. My cheeks burned and his eyes lit up with mirth.

"Just wondering how much further we have to go before we reach this "perfect place"." I replied as I jumped to be (almost) eye level with him.

Birch smiled, (again with the heart melting shine!) "Not much further, but I think its best seen in moonlight, so I took the long route." I gasped and punched his arm lightly, slightly upset that he hadn't told me that a while ago. "I'm glad though, because I get to spend more time with you now." I blushed again, sure that I was becoming just like every other girl in Gravity Falls in the fact that he was having this effect on me. _Cut it out, you're smarter than this! Remember Brady Wilkinson!_ I shuddered, Brady was the guy who everyone liked and wished they could be. A year or two ago, back when I had shown off my eyes, I had caught his attention and we had started going out.

Big mistake.

I had gotten to see the darker side of him, the side that went home and drank vodka until he had fire in his eyes. The side that wouldn't take no for an answer when he wanted something. The side that could really hurt when it was truly released (I still had a few scars on my arms from when he had knocked me around). Eventually, I went to my friends at PD HQ and got him arrested for multiple assault charges. After that, I hadn't ever gone out with anyone else and the few people who would associate with a girl who had purple eyes avoided me like I had the plague. I shook my head and looked at Birch, he didn't seem like he would be like Brady, and I really liked him.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, "Do you drink?" I just got it out there before I chickened out. Birch stared for a moment, then burst out in laughter, "What's so funny?" I asked as he wiped away a tear of laughter.

He calmed down enough to answer, "Seriously? The only "alcohol" here is expired apple juice, do you really think that I would . So to answer your question, no, I don't drink. I don't do drugs either, no one here does. Why?"

I shrugged and turned away, "I dated a guy who drank a few years back, just didn't want to make the mistake again." I jumped down and walked forward, "You gonna show me the place now? It's dark and the moon is rising."

Birch turned me around, I didn't even hear him get off the log, "Trust me, it'll be worth it, it's just up ahead. Oh, and Arylia?"

"Hm?"

"I wish you didn't have to go through that, no one should." I looked up at Birch, who was giving me the most comforting smile I had ever seen. I blinked and smiled back tentatively, "There's that smile." I giggled, glad that Birch was by my side. Whenever he was around, I felt way more comfortable than with anyone else. _Well, there_ was _that Dipper kid._

I shook my head, "Let's get going." Birch nodded and took off in a jog.

After a while we finally reached a clearing, lit up by the moon and several fireflies, the ground was covered by apocynum and ferns, with a spot in the middle where grass seemed to create a small triangle of clear space. I gasped and stepped forward as a smile rushed onto my face.

Birch laughed, "Yep, its pretty great. Actually, I find that if I had a partner, this would be an excellent spot for dancing." I whipped around to see him set down a music player. No. Way. He wanted to dance, with me, in this super romantic area. This guy was good.

I smiled as he put on a song I knew by heart, but with a pop spin to it and he started to sing, "Could I have this dance for the rest of my life? Could you be my partner every night? When we're together it feels so right, could I have this dance for the rest of my life?" I nodded and we made our way to the middle of the clear space, I smiled as we moved in time to the music.

"I'll always remember, that magic moment, when I held you close to me. As we move together, I knew forever, you're all I'll ever need." Birch sang as my heart soared and we flew through the air on wings of light. The moon caught his eyes and made them glow with love that I knew wasn't false, and I made a decision then and there. I succumbed to the desire that was pushing against my hand and what I knew I shouldn't do, I pushed my hair back and blinked at him without hair covering my view.

Birch's eyes widened and he smiled as he went back to the chorus, this time with me singing along, "Could I have this dance for the rest of my life, could you be my partner every night? When we're together it feels so right, could I have this dance for the rest of my life?" I smiled and closed my eyes as we sang up into the night, "Could I have dance for the rest of my life? Could you be my partner every night? When we're together it feels so right, could I have this _daaaaance_ for the rest of my life?" I opened my eyes and looked at Birch with such love that was uncontainable when he did exactly what I was hoping he would do.

He kissed me.

As our lips locked, fireworks exploded in my chest and head, and I closed my eyes with ecstasy pulsing through my veins. We stood there in the light of the moon and the fireflies for a while before I pulled away and smiled at him.

He blinked and smiled, then looked somewhere behind me, "What's that?" I turned around and noticed a shine in the grass nearby. Birch walked over to it, bent down, picked it up, and walked back to me with a smile. "Check it out!" I looked down at a golden ring with a large triangle surrounded by three diamonds and a diamond in the center. I blinked, "Here, give me your hand."

I shook my head, "Nah, that's probably some other girl or guy's ring. They'll probably come back to get it later." Birch got a look of irritation on his face that was so swiftly wiped off I wasn't even sure that it was there in the first place.

He nodded, "Yeah, probably." He set it down in the middle of the triangle and walked back to me, "C'mon, let's get you back home." I smiled and we began our trek back to the Mystery Shack.

~/ | \~

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~v~

By the time we were back I had calmed down and was ready to face the gang again. I looked over at Birch who was staring at me, "What?"

Birch smiled, "Has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful eyes?" I stared at him, unable to comprehend those words. No, no one had ever told me that before, only that they were either A. a witch's mark (daddy dearest), B. freaking weird (pretty much everyone else I knew), or C. danger and or demons will be coming (Stanley). I smiled and gave him one last parting hug before walking back to the shack.

As I approached the gift shop door, noises inside that sounded like arguing reached my ears, so I did what any self-respecting teenager would do. I eavesdropped. "It's been almost four hours, we have to go get her!" I could tell that was my lumberjill friend's voice by her raising voice at the end of her cry. "No, she'll come back on her own. All her things are here and this is the only place she lives at." I realized with a frown that this was Ford's voice. "Dudes, she's still out there, in the dark. Who knows what kind of creepy stuff she could've run into by now." Soos, the ever faithful protector. "Alright, I'm going out. No way I'm gonna let Arylia get stuck out there with Bill coming back." I smiled and blushed as I realized that this voice belonged to Dipper. "Aw, does my bro have a crush?" I grinned at Mabel's playful accusation, it was pretty obvious. "Alright, that's enough. Ford, we can't leave her out there, something might get her and she's just a kid." I bristled at that last comment, obviously Stan didn't think her capable of taking care of herself. I was about done with this conversation when Ford said, "She may be, but Bill has his eye on her and, by some force of weirdness, he's coming back. I have a feeling that something very dark is coming to Gravity Falls, and that girl is right in the middle of all of this."

I closed my eyes and pushed open the door, "Hey, I'm back."

Everyone whipped around and Wendy rushed up to me, "Arylia! I'm so glad you're alright, where on earth did you go?"

I shrugged and smiled, "Birch took me to this super cool spot in the woods, it was amazing. Definitely worth the long walk." Well, the short walk once he took me back to the Shack directly, it only took five minutes. "So, look, I know you guys were freaked out by that weird glowing eyes business, but so am I. And you being freaked out is no excuse to keep stuff like that hidden from me. I've got to be able to know about this stuff if I'm going to keep myself safe from Bill, however he returned in the first place. Um, how did he come back?" I looked around at the faces before me, none of them knew what had happened and it was showing on their faces. "Seriously?"

Ford looked at me and furrowed his brow, "You swept your bangs back." It wasn't a question, but it held one inside that statement.

I shrugged, "I figured that I should stop hiding my eyes, if they're purple, they're purple. If they're gold, they're gold. I shouldn't be ashamed of them." Dipper, Wendy, Soos, and Mabel nodded in agreement while Ford and Stan looked at each other in worry. "Do you have a problem with that?" I asked them pointedly.

Ford shook his head, "No, but don't be surprised if people react strangely. They did with me." He said as he held up his hands to gesture to his sixth fingers. I nodded, I had already experienced plenty of them, even if they weren't from here yet.

I smiled at my friends, "Well, I'm going to sleep, I've got school tomorrow after all."

Mabel smiled, "Me and Dipper are gonna join you and Wendy at Gravity High tomorrow, and Ford got a job there, so we're all gonna need to sleep. Cya in the morning." With that, the brunette pulled her twin out the gift shop and into the main house. I smiled and followed, laughing at the adorable behavior that the twins were exhibiting. When I finally reached my room, I barely hit the mattress when I fell into sleep's open and welcoming embrace.

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~v~

 _All around me the world fell and the sky swirled like a bucket of mixed paints, several buildings were walking around while Wendy who was wearing a turquoise dress with a long slit on the side, Soos, Ford, Stan, Mabel who was wearing a strange hot pink dress with lots of feathers, and Dipper who was wearing a vibrant blue tux ran to avoid being squished. A maniacal laugh filled the air as I turned around to find one large eye with a vertical slit for a pupil staring at me and peering into my mind. The bracelet on my wrist froze me to the core for a moment, around my neck something seemed to calm my shattered nerves, when I looked down I was able to recognize it as the amulet that Birch gave me, some item on my forehead seemed to lull me to a sleeping state, and an object on my left ring finger seemed to flow with darkness and pain but at the same time fill me with power unimaginable._

 _I turned and ran through town to find destruction everywhere I went and people screaming in agony around me as I darted my eyes around, noticing that my hair was away from my bangs. As I passed a shop with a window still intact I froze in horror, then went back in horror as I looked at my reflection. In the window I saw myself wearing a long dress that I couldn't quite see clearly but somehow knew was a vivid gold, the bracelet and amulet that Birch had given me as well as a circlet on my head that had diamonds and topaz embedded in it's golden grip. That wasn't what scared me so bad, what had caught me in the thralls of horror was the color of my eyes: no longer the vibrant violet color that I had always lived with, but a glowing gold that held no warmth, only a crazed gleam that reminded me of Birch for some reason. As I stared at the image, I knew what would come next. I whipped around in time to see a large golden triangle with a top hat, a bowtie, arms, and legs reaching for me. I looked left and right but found was surrounded by strange beings that I knew couldn't come from our world._

" _Arylia!" I looked back to the triangle, absolute terror freezing me in place, "You're mine now!" I screamed as its black hand grasped me and my vision darkened._

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~v~

I bolted upright with a start, sweat pouring from every part of me and breath coming in sharp gasps. _That dream again_ , I thought as I laid back down, _what's happening to me?_

 **Ooooh, what is up with that dream? I have a feeling that something big will come soon *cheshire grin***

 **Dipper: So, when are we going to see your sister?**

 **Patience my young Dip n' Dot, patience**

 **Dipper: Don't call me that.**

 **Mabel: Whatever bro bro**

 **Alright, FFR and ciao for-**

 ***retching noises continue***

 **Okay, I'm done. What is going on in there?! *stomps over***

 **Dipper: Well, ciao for now! *Arylia screams indignantly by the bathroom* Wonder what's going on over there?**


	8. Plot Twist Central

***shaking Bill silly* Oh, hey my comets! You are here watching me beat up Bill on account of his mean prank. Tell them what you did.**

 **Bill: I recorded the sound of me puking so that I could go on a binge reading session of Gravity Falls Fanfiction.**

 **Yup, and he was in the middle of reading Fantasy Fan's Learning to Love when I caught him (go check it out, it's awesome!)**

 **Dipper: Ahem**

 **Huh? Oh yeah, right. *takes list* WHAAAAAAA! *gasping noises* no reviews? AT ALL?! This just isn't right.**

 **Dipper: Well, you** _ **did**_ **take a break from writing for a few months.**

 ***sobs in a corner while rocking back and forth* Itcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrueitcan'tbetrue**

 **Mabel: Um, Arylia doesn't own Gravity Falls. I'm, ah, gonna go get her some coffee… be right back *runs off to kitchen***

 **Stanford: Alright then, on with the show!**

 **Dipper: WAIT!**

 **Everyone: What?**

 **Dipper: *blushes* that was the wrong list.**

 ***jumps up with a smile* Okay then! Who reviewed?**

 **Dipper: One guest, a member, and- *jaw drops to the end of the universe* your sister… I absolutely hate her…**

 **Well that's not very nice, c'mon, lemme see! *steals list***

 **Guest: Maybe someone put rat poison in the broccoli**

 **Bleh… if I could, I'd want all that Bill-themed jewelry (I don't care about the pain it causes.)**

 **Can't wait for the next chapter!**

 **That was a great review! I LOVE it when you comets do that, take this guest as an example folks. Oh, one more thing, please put names if you're guests because I like responding to names, not just Guest. You know, that's just an author's opinion.**

 **: NOOOOO! Why did you have to end the chapter there!" WHY!**

 **Well, I had to end the chapter somewhere, and I thought that it would be a great place to stop there. I need to get that dream hammered into you fanatic minds or you might miss something.**

 **Star Windbreaker: MABLE! YOU DID! DIDN'T YOU! Anywho, so Ary! How's your crush? Dipper Dip n' Dot.**

 **Dipper: SHUT THAT YAPPER!**

 ***smirks***

 **Hope you write those nine chapters soon!**

 **-Your Sister Star WIndbreaker**

 **Okay, wow. I think you might have been drinking Death Wish again. And Dipper doesn't talk like that, jtlyk (Just To Let You Know). Don't worry, those nine chapters will be coming soon.**

 **Alright, now enjoy this** _ **extremely**_ **long chapter, not sure how long it will be in Fanfiction length, but its 18 pages in google docs length.**

I awoke to the sound of humming in the hallway, a beautiful, rich tenor that flowed like honey into my ears. As I sat got ready for school, the song continued to play and my heart soared. I had to know who was singing so amazingly, and I had to know right then. So, clad in my violet tank and a pair of tight, black pants, I opened the door and crept down the hallway to the downstairs where the humming grew louder.

I was at the doorframe to the kitchen when I recognized the song, it was Disco Girl by BABBA, one of my absolute favorite songs. I peeked around the corner but couldn't see anyone, much to my dissapointment. I turned back to go to my room when the humming became actual singing, making my heart skip a beat.

"Disco girl, comin through, that girl is you!" I peeked in again to find, much to my surprise, Dipper singing as he flipped a pancake. My jaw dropped and I stared blinking at the teen, never before had I heard a guy sing that song, every boy I knew thought it was too girly for them to sing. I smiled and started to "ooh" along quietly, but not quietly enough apparently. Dipper whipped around as soon as I started and stared wide eyed at me with spatula in hand, brandished like a sword.

Dipper lowered the spatula, blushing bright red, "Um, I guess you heard that." He mumbled as he turned back to the pan.

I stepped into the room, "That. Was. Incredible. I had no idea you could sing like that! Seriously, you've _got_ to come to choir, if you don't, I just might cry."

Dipper ducked his head to hide his smile, "Yeah, no. I can't sing, that was a dying snadger crying out for help."

I cocked my eyebrow ( _Finally_ , people can see it now!), "Um, first of all you sing better than most guys I've ever met, second of all, the fact that you're willing to sing a song like _Disco Girl_ says that you aren't scared of being emasculated, not that you are by singing it, and third of all, I don't think a snadger is a real thing."

Dipper chuckled, "Well, you haven't seen all of Gravity Falls yet; snadgers came around when Bill first came out of the Nightmare Realm." At the word "nightmare" I was reminded of my recurring dream and my head shot up.

"Uh, hey Dipper?"

"Hm?"

"What do you know about recurring dreams?" Almost immediately, Dipper went stock-still and straight as a bedpost.

I thought he had been electrocuted, until, "What kind of dream?"

I shifted, uncomfortable with his wary tone, "Er, the nightmare kind?" Dipper sighed and turned off the stove, then put the pancake inside on an already made stack and brought it over.

As he sat down, he closed his eyes, "Okay, was your dream about a large, golden triangle with an eye in the center of it?"

My eyebrows shot sky-high at that, "Uh, yeah, why?"

Dipper's eyes shot open and he leaned forward, "Did you see me, Mabel, Soos, Ford, and Stan running away from moving buildings while trying to avoid being smashed? Were you wearing a gold dress?" I leaned back a bit, beginning to become unnerved by his urgent tone.

"Ye-es, how did you know about that?" I asked, leaning forward to get a better look at Dipper's face.

He closed his eyes and lowered his head onto the table, "'Cause me and Mabel have been having the same dream from different points of view for the past few days." My jaw dropped and I'm pretty sure that I looked like I was in a nightmare at that moment. Dipper looked up at me, "That golden triangle you saw was Bill, and the fact that you're seeing him in your dreams is a big problem. The others told you about what he can do, right?" I nodded, "Well, they haven't even touched the surface of his true power." Before he could continue, the stove behind him burst into flames. "GAH!" Dipper cried as he threw a towel on top of the fire, smothering its strange plasma. As the last sparks went out, I realized that there was something odd about the fire, its color was all wrong; instead of orange or red, the fire was a deep cyan-blue color.

Dipper turned back to me, "Sorry about that, I'm guessing that Soos hasn't replaced the thing since the last time we were here. Anyways, you'd better go get Mabel. It's a tradition for us to eat pancakes right before our first day of school, but I'd rather not be late."

I nodded, "Okay, but seriously, take choir. I bet the office'll let you two change some of your classes." I was about to ask him about the fire, but I figured that it was just something I had conjured up out of my exhaustion. I turned and left the room, headed to get Mabel and my stuff.

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~v~

After eating the pancakes, it was a hop, skip, and a jump to school. Ford told us that he would be teaching next week, since it was Friday already, so we just walked there by ourselves. Once we actually reached the school, I had only 5 minutes to show Dipper and Mabel around, but I was fortunate enough to have an intervention on behalf of the school board. We were at their lockers, numbers 668 and 669, putting away some books and stuff (Dipper couldn't wear his hat inside unfortunately) when nature called.

Dipper looked around, "Hey guys, I gotta go to the bathroom, be right back." Mabel rolled her eyes and I shrugged, both of us understanding that if you had to go, you have to go. We were just standing there, waiting outside the bathroom door when up came, you guessed it, Birch.

"Well hello there, who might you be?" He asked as he took Mabel's hand and kissed it, just like a proper gentleman! I felt a small burst of heat in my chest, but I pushed it down before I did something stupid.

"This is Mabel, one of my friends. She's gonna be here at school with us, I have to show her around but I don't think we have enough time." I frowned, wondering what would happen since she didn't know what classes she had.

Birch flashed one of his trademark smiles, causing Mabel to practically die of boy exposure, "Well, today's your lucky day. I just came from the office with instructions to tell you that I will be assisting you with showing around the new kids. Here're their schedules, I guess there are two, but where's the other one?" He handed me two schedules and looked around with what appeared to be casual interest, but something about it seemed a bit off.

Mabel giggled, "My bro's in the bathroom, maybe we could go separately?" I rolled my eyes, Mabel was definitely boy crazy, just like Wendy and Soos had told me.

I nudged Birch, "How about you take Mabel and I'll take Dipper, that way they can both get a more personalized experience." I winked at Mabel who was giving me a look saying _you are the best person in the world._ I smiled, handed him Mabel's schedule, and pushed the two off in one direction, "Go, go, I'll be fine." As they walked off into the distance, Mabel clinging to Birch's arm, I smirked after them. After a few moments, Dipper came out, looking a bit disgruntled.

"Hey, where'd Mabel go?" He asked, looking around.

I laughed, "Don't worry, she's with Birch."

Dipper's eyes narrowed, "Birch? The same guy who's been giving you magical jewelry Birch?"

I rolled my eyes (so glad that they can see the action now), "Trust me, I think Birch is in more danger from Mabel than she is of him."

Dipper just looked at me for a moment, then laughed, "I guess you're right there, so where do we go now?"

I smiled mischievously, "Well, we are free from classes for the first period, so why not spy on your sister and watch the carnage she leaves of Birch?"

Dipper chuckled, "Nah, trust me, it'll be over before you know it. How about you show me where my classes are?"

I groaned in false pain, "Aw, c'mon, you want to get to classes immediately? Alright, let's see the schedule." As I looked it over I noticed something strange, "Huh, that's weird."

Dipper peeked over my shoulder, "What?"

I looked over at him, his coffee-brown eyes were mere inches away from my face and my heart gave a little flutter, "Oh, nothing. It's just that you've got Choir with me, I didn't think you took choir."

Dipper grabbed the paper, "I didn't, what did they do?! I can't sing!"

I laughed and rolled my eyes, "Yeah you can, I heard you earlier and I can tell that you'd be an awesome singer! Now c'mon, you wanted to see where your classes are." I smirked and skipped off to his first classroom; College Algebra.

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~v~

Dipper and I had gone to all the classes he was in: College Algebra, Physics (taught by Ford), and AP Bio, leaving us with the last class on his list to go to; Choir.

"Come on, don't make me go! Can't I just go to the office and change the class?" I was practically dragging him to the choir room where sweet music could be heard.

I shook my head and tugged him along, "Nope, you've got to get to see Mrs. Fera for your voice testing. She's got free period right now so she'll be able to do it instead of in class." Dipper groaned and acted like he was dying, very well actually. As we reached the double doors to the room,and when they opened, Mabel was already there, singing part of _Don't Start Unbelieving_.

When she finished I cleared my throat, "Hi Mrs. Fera! Hey Mabel! Where's Birch?"

Mabel looked around and shrugged, "I dunno, he was here a minute ago. Maybe he headed off to class, the bell's about to ring." I shrugged and ignored it, even though a slight pang of loss in my chest started at the thought of him not being there. _Cut it out! You're just friends… friends who kissed eachother last night… okay, maybe I'd like it if we were more._ I looked over at Dipper who was attempting to sneak out of the room.

I grabbed him by the collar of his vest, "Oh, no, no, no, you're going to take this class, even if I have to strap you down and _force_ you to sing. Now _start_!" I pointed at Mrs. Fera and pushed the teen over to her. With one last look, begging me to change my mind, Dipper sighed and started singing part of _Radioactive_. Mrs. Fera's jaw dropped and I'm pretty sure that she about had a heart attack.

When Dipper was done, he glanced at me in annoyance, "Can I go now?"

Mrs. Fera jumped up and grabbed his shoulders, "What's your name? Please tell me you're taking choir this year."

Dipper shrank back a bit, "Uh, I'm Dipper and I guess I am."

Mrs. Fera clasped her hands in excitement, "Wonderful! Now, you'd better head off to your second class, the bell will be ringing," She cocked her head and her brown hair fell slightly out of her ponytail, "now." As if on cue, the bell rang and the double doors opened to several upperclassmen coming in for their choir class.

I grabbed Dipper and Mabel's hands, "C'mon, you don't wanna get stuck with these jerks."

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~v~

Second hour went by smoothly, if a little odd since I wasn't actively hiding my eyes anymore, but by the time for choir, Birch still hadn't shown up. I was at my locker to drop off my math books when I noticed the note.

"I can't believe that you didn't tell me how cute Birch is! Not cool, Ary." Mabel was scolding me for the fifth time.

I laughed, "Well I'm sorry, but I didn't think to mention that during my episode out on the front lawn." Mabel and I apparently had math together as well as choir. As I shoved the last book into the locker, a little slip of paper fell out and onto the floor. Mabel and I looked at eachother, then I leaned over to grab it. On the other side was a small multi-colored diamond sticker that shimmered in the synthetic light of the hall holding two parts of the paper together. I peeled the sticker off and opened the paper, "Wonder who left it."

As I read it silently, Mabel tapped her foot, "C'mon, read it aloud!"

I looked up at her, "Okay, okay, fine. Here it goes:

 _Dearest Diamonds,_

 _I am sorry that I am not at school, but something extremely important came up and I was needed outside of school. Unfortunately, I won't be back for a while so I won't be able to talk to you about last night. Maybe we could meet in our secret grove a week from today? I'll wait there until midnight, I hope to see you there._ That's all there is."

Mabel's face went through a series of changes, finally stopping at pure excitement, "Oh my gosh! Birch likes you, why didn't you tell me? And you were at a secret grove? Come on girl, I want details!"

I laughed, "Okay, okay, at lunch, I promise. For now we have to get to choir to make sure your brother isn't chickening out. What do you think Birch is away for?"

Mabel shrugged, "I dunno, he didn't tell me where he was going. Not cool, I hope he treats you better than he did me, or he's going to have an angry Mabel-saurus on his tail. RAWR!" I giggled at her crazy antics and the question of Birch's whereabouts flew straight out of my mind.

I probably should have looked into that.

~/ | \~

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~v~

Choir was an absolute _bomb!_ When Mabel and I got to class, Dipper had already caught the eye of Tiffany and her hench-crew, meaning that he was in serious trouble.

"Oh my gosh, you're from California? I bet you've gotten an amazing tan at the beach." One of Tiffany's girls was practically drooling over him while the others were all flipping their hair and winking like there was something in their eyes. Tiffany herself was draped across one of the risers in a position that made her look like she was trying to be sexy, but failing miserably. Mabel and I just stared at Dipper, who had in less than a day become a girl magnet, until, "Ew, its that one girl with the creepy eyes.

I bristled, but was unable to say anything before Mabel butted in, "Excuse me, but who asked you? And what are you doing talking to my twin?" Dipper turned to his sister and an expression of pure relief washed over his face. I snickered as I moved him away from the clingy hex-girls around him, bringing him to the other side of the classroom whilst Mabel distracted them.

I turned to look at the social carnage that Mabel was creating and smiled, "And another thing, I don't like meanies, and you girls are probably in that group at a school who pick on people who are pretty enough to be in their group but aren't. So you can leave me and my bro-bro alone, or you and I will be having some serious problems, and I don't think you want that." I watched in amazement as she turned on her heel, flipped her chocolate hair like a pro, and sauntered over to us, giggling as she went.

My jaw dropped, "Whoah, remind me to never get on your bad side. How did you do that?"

Mabel chewed her lip and looked up in thought, "Mm, the sass talk or the hair flip?"

I giggled, "Both I guess."

Mabel and Dipper looked at eachother, then laughed, "Well, the hair flip took her _hours_ to perfect-"

"-and the sass talk was easy, I've taunted way worse than them." Mabel completed. I blinked and shook my head with a smile, those two were so crazy.

Mrs. Fera walked out of her office and over to the piano, "Alright class, we have two new students here with us today, you may recognize them from last summer during… you know. Anyways, this is Mabel and Dipper Pines." Everyone waved hands, and Tiffany blew a kiss in Dipper's direction, causing said boy to blush profusely. "Now as many of you know, every year we have a talent show within the first or second month of school. This year, the arts department is in charge of the setup, as well as getting posters and application sheets up around the school. Do I have any volunteers for this?"

Mabel shot hers up immediately, and Dipper shortly after, albeit much more hesitantly, but Mabel shoved it straight down before he could raise it enough. After several others raised their hands, Mrs. Fera clasped her hands together proudly, "Excellent, now, does anyone else want to join, if you do not now, then you will not be allowed in." No one else raised their hand, making Mrs. Fera frown a bit. "All right, just to let you know, I will be on the judge's board along with Mr. Simulare, Ms. Catherine, and Birch Elpil, our resident junior voted on the board by all the teachers and seniors. Very surprising due to the fact that he isn't a senior, but that was up to them. Anyway, its time to get on with the lesson, can you give me a lip trill?" And with that, we went on with our lesson.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

Mabel stretched her arms out as we exited the classroom, "Whoah, that was in _tense!_ I had no idea choir could be so hard!"

Dipper rubbed his neck, "My throat feels weird."

I laughed, "That's because you actually used it for once Dip. So, you gonna try to be in the show?"

Dipper threw his head back and laughed, "HA! Nah, I haven't got a lick of talent, I'd probably just embarrass myself." I shrugged but was actually a bit dissappointed, although I wasn't sure why.

Mabel shoved her twin, "C'mon dawg, you gotta join, it'll be _fu-un_!"

Dipper shook his head, "No Mabel, I'm not doing it. Now c'mon, we don't wanna miss lunch." With that, the Pines twins raced through the hall to the cafeteria where our food awaited. By the time I reached our lunch table with my food, Mabel, Wendy, and Dipper were all caught up and were laughing their heads off.

"Okay, okay, seriously, how have you not died of boredom dudes?" Wendy shook her head at the twins.

Dipper shrugged, "I dunno, I guess we just kept busy with getting our stuff packed to come here."

I sat down opposite of the three, "Hey, when do I get to meet your parents?"

Mabel chewed some kind of black slate that was meant to pass as a grilled cheese sandwich, " _Nom,_ They're supposed to, _nom_ , come in a few days, _nom nom_ , something happened with the, _nom_ , moving company so they're gonna , _nom_ , have to wait a while at one of their, _nom_ , friend's houses."

I scrunched my nose in disgust, "How can you _eat_ that?"

Dipper rolled his eyes, "You're talking to the girl who invented Mabel Juice, have you tried it yet?" I shuddered and mimed throwing up, "Exactly, you don't wanna know what she makes at home."

Mabel poked her brother with a crumb encrusted finger, "Hey, I resent that."

We laughed and ate (yes, I ate the slate-like sandwich. I was hungry, don't judge) in silence for a while before Wendy broke the silence, "It's weird, I feel like something's changed. Dramatically, but I can't figure out what."

I snapped my crum covered fingers, an action that caused Dipper to turn and flinch, "Birch isn't here. He's been here since the start of school and now that he's gone things seem different."

Dipper shifted a bit, "Okay, who's Birch?"

Mabel looked at me, mischievous grin already in place, "Hh, no one really. Just the guy who's got a crush on Arylia and is probably the cutest person in the _entire world!_ "

Dipper rolled his eyes while Wendy burst out in laughter, "Wow, nothing's changed. Still trying to play matchmaker, huh Mabel?"

Mabel nodded so fast that her head appeared as a blurry blob, "Yep, yep, yep! Are you gonna join the talent show? I'm helping!" Wendy shook her head and bit into her sandwich, leaving me wide open for a Mabel-attack, "What about you? You _better_ be doing something, or I'm gonna be really sad." With that, Mabel made the poutiest, saddest, make-me-want-to-criest face I had ever seen.

I shrugged, "I dunno. I was kinda hoping to do a duo talent thing with Birch, but I guess he can't do it since he's a judge. So I guess not." Mabel slumped in her seat and pouted for a while, making my heartstrings twang with pain.

After a while, we were still sitting in silence until finally, "Arylia, would you do the performance with me?" My head shot up from looking at the blood-like substance supposed to pass as tomato soup.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Um, don't you wanna know what it is before you join?"

Dipper shrugged, "Not really, I just want to get this done so that Mabel stops feeling bad."

Mabel squealed like a third grader and glomped her twin, practically depriving him of oxygen for a while before letting go, "Oh! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou _thankyou!_ "

Wendy looked at me with worry, "Uh, what _are_ you gonna do, man?"

I shrugged, "Well, there's plenty of time to figure it out, when's the show again Mabel?"

Mabel shrunk down and smiled at me sheepishly, "Uh, he-he, two weeks?"

Everyone's jaw dropped, I laughed nervously, "Um, maybe we shouldn't do this…"

Dipper set his jaw firmly, "No, we're gonna do this, who cares how much time there is? We can get it done!"

Mabel thought for a moment, then smiled, "I know, how about you two do a duet with a dance routine? It shouldn't be that hard, and I know Dipper can pop and lock like no one else." Dipper blushed and rubbed the back of his neck as I looked at him in surprise, that was something I wasn't expecting.

I shrugged, "Sure, why not? What do you think we should do?"

Mabel frowned, "I dunno."

We all thought for a moment before Wendy looked at Dipper and blushed, "What?" I asked, curious as to why the redhead would turn a shade deeper than her hair.

Wendy twisted her hands, "Well, I mean, erm, you see…"

Mabel leaned forward, "Okay, this I gotta hear."

Wendy sighed, "Okay, so you know how I like rock?" I nodded while the twins shook their heads in amazement, "Well, what if you did My Demons by Starset?" I smiled and clapped my hands while the other two just looked at eachother in confusion.

Wendy rolled her eyes, "Oh, alright." She pulled out her phone and started playing the slightly creepy while still amazing sound that was Starset. By the time the song was over, Mabel was grinning from ear to ear with excitement while Dipper was so pale I thought he was a ghost.

Wendy frowned, "Okay, it was the first thing that came to mind that wasn't absolutely stupid, but you don't have to do it if you don't want to Dipper."

Dipper frowned, but set his jaw in determination, "It's fine, we can do it. Do you want to Arylia?" I nodded ecstatically, "Alright then, it's settled. Mabel, sign us up for the show!"

Mabel squealed and hugged her twin like there was no tomorrow, "OH MY GOSH, DIPPER YOU'RE THE BEST BROTHER EVER!"

I smiled just as the bell rang, "Well, time to go I guess. See you after class!"

"Cya!"

"Bye."

"Catch you later dudes!"

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

I smiled as the final bell rang, meaning that we could all leave class to head home. As I pulled up my backpack, a small shiny object fell out and clinked against the floor. When I stooped down to pick it up, I realized that it was the ring from last night. I shook my head and pocketed it to take it back, then exited the classroom.

As I passed by one of the rooms, a familiar voice floated out, "I don't care if he likes her, I want her _gone!_ "

I stopped and silently slammed against the wall, waiting to hear more, when a voice that sounded like gravel came, "You should know that he won't like that, he needs her to open the rift."

I peeked over the corner to see Tiffany arguing with a black haired emo guy who was in the popular crowd, "You know as well as I do that he doesn't need her alive to break through!"

The boy closed eyes, "It's not that simple, he has grown attached to her, even though he's protected by the _familiar_."

Tiffany rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I think it's _because_ of that _familiar_ that he's got feelings for the brat. Ugh! If I had known that it would be this much trouble to conquer the third dimension I would never have left the Nightmare Realm. I was happy ruling it by his side, but _no-o_ , he had to have the third dimension as well. Now we're stuck in our _familiars_ , I have competition with a human girl, and we're _this close_ to being discovered by those infernal Pines!" I blinked and pulled my head away from the door, then began recording on my voice recorder. Who was the "he" they were talking about? Who was the "she"?

My thoughts were interrupted when the boy spoke, "The girl is unkillable, you know that right?"

"WHAT! _How_?"

My breath hitched, "She's not human. Well, technically she is, but only a small part. The rest is supernatural, and in a way that even he doesn't understand completely. She shouldn't even exist, she's just not possible."

The two were silent for a moment, until Tiffany spoke up, "Like the Pines family shouldn't be possible?" I covered my mouth to hold in a gasp, _what did they mean by that?_

I closed my eyes and listened to the rest of the conversation, "You need to stop and think clearly. Normally _I'm_ the one who you tell to stop and think."

Tiffany huffed, "I won't lose my position as his queen to someone who's not even a demon!" The creature didn't respond, "No… you're kidding me… tell me she isn't!"

"Well… I could, but that would be a lie."

With a whoosh of flames, Tiffany screamed, "AAAAARGH! Axolotl _saeva habet sensus iocus! Ego testor nolite perdere eum ad a purpura luscus genus crucis_!" I squinted my eyes and wondered what language they were speaking in, then, against every single instinct I had, I peeked around the corner. In the place where Tiffany had stood before there was a one eyed lady with pink… well, everything! Pink hair, pink skin, pink dress, pink fire composing her gloves and shoes. I stared at her in absolute shock, then watched in horror as the guy transformed into what looked like a big gray lump of clay with black horns, beady red eyes, and a large red pacifier in its stomach. I whipped my head back behind to the safety of the hall, terrified

" _Cessabit vestra homine_ Pyronica _, vos autem dare nobis auferetur! Quid faciam vos cogitare autem fiere si_ Stanford _invenit de fere nobis?! Quos volebat occidere nobis et quæramus ipsius circa eius consilium suum aperire quod abruptionis in quod vicesima secunda_."

Another whoosh sounded, "Grrr, I know. Don't think I take this lightly, because I have more to lose than any of you. If he chooses the girl over me, he'll send me back to the Nightmare Realm as an _ignominia affic unum_ , and I will _not_ go back there that way!" I furrowed my brow in confusion, what language was that they had spoken in? Suddenly, footsteps sounded from within the room and I dashed away as quickly as I could.

As I rounded a corner, Tiffany's voice called out, "Who's there?" I held my breath, "It's fine Paci-fire, no one was there." I held in a laugh, if only they knew.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I ran out the double doors in the front and straight into Dipper who was heading inside.

"Oof!"

"Ohmf! Ow, watch where you're- oh! Arylia, there you are. I was just heading in to get you." Dipper smiled and held my hand, pulling me down the steps. I was too busy with my voice recorder, too busy trying to save the conversation to notice the hand holding, but Mabel certainly wasn't.

"SQUEEEEEEEE!" I looked up to see Mabel jumping up and down with an expression of pure excitement on her face.

Dipper cocked an eyebrow, then pointed at my recorder, "What's that?"

I held it up, "Its a recording device. I took it with me after leaving my house and would keep an audio journal. Kept me sane. I haven't parted with it since, and I'm glad for that! We need to get back to the Mystery Shack, pronto. Tiffany isn't what she seems and I have a feeling that there are more… _things_ like her at school!"

Dipper and Mabel looked at eachother, then back at me, "What _kind_ of things?" Dipper asked as he led me and Mabel through town to the woods.

I put away my recorder and brushed my hair back, "Uh, there was this grayish-black thing that had a giant red pacifier in its stomach, and Tiffany turned into a pink lady with fire on her legs and arms. We gotta tell Ford!" Dipper visibly paled at the descriptions while Mabel nodded her head.

"You got it. Let's go, last one there has to clean the jackalope's cage!" Mabel shouted as she tore down the street.

A few days prior to the Pines's arrival, I was walking in the forest when I stumbled upon a small valley filled with strange things. There were squashes with human faces, weird manotaur things, a bear with lots of heads, and a bunch of jackalopes bouncing around. I grabbed one and brought it to the Mystery Shack, where Soos promptly named it Mr. Snugglebug and put it in a glass cage where several people gawked at it for days to come. When the adult twins got to the shack, Stan was so surprised he about had a heart attack.

I grinned and shot off after her, only barely in front of Dipper, and let out a whoop of excitement as we raced through the streets. I dodged a handful of people, jumped over a fire hydrant, and startled several birds into flight before I reached the edge of the woods. Mabel was huffing and puffing, trying to catch her breath when Dipper and I caught up with her.

"Hah! Who's alpha now?" Dipper called back to her as he rushed past me into the forest. I rolled my eyes and laughed, Dipper was one crazy teen. As we ran along the path through the forest, laughter echoed through the trees. I almost ran into Dipper, who had stopped in the middle of the path with a look of intense worry on his face.

I cocked an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

Dipper turned to look at me, "You heard that, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, probably just the gnomes or something."

Dipper didn't look convinced but continued walking, "Gnomes… right…"

I looked around and took a deep breath, "Ah, I love the smell of pine trees." At that comment, Dipper went beet red and darted ahead. _What did I say?_ I thought, _It's not_ that _weird of a statement, is it?_ I was kicked abruptly out of my statement as a loud _CAW_ echoed across the forest. I looked up to see a crow with glowing gold eyes staring at me from a birch tree branch. I looked back at Dipper who was staring at the bird with wide, fearful eyes. As I started to ask if he was alright, Dipper broke into a sprint towards the Mystery Shack. I shrugged and raced after him, careful to avoid the tree branches that were littering the ground. As the shack came into view, a warm breeze wove around me and a voice called, _show him_. I furrowed my brows in confusion and hit the screen door to the gift shop.

As I rubbed my head, Stan opened the door and poked his head out, "Hey, kid, why're you so late?"

I glared at him, "Okay, first off, I'm not a kid, secondly, I just slammed into the door and you don't care, third off, I gotta go see you brother. Is he in the basement?" Stan nodded and I rushed straight past him into the house. As I got inside, Wendy was stocking the shelves and to door to the basement was already open wide.

I looked to Wendy who pointed at the door with her thumb, "Dipper's in there with Ford, don't know why he was so freaked out." I thanked her and ran down the stairs to the elevator, punched in the code, and rode down to Ford's office where he and Dipper were arguing.

"I know what I saw Great Uncle Ford, and Arylia saw it too! The normal animals here are tainted, he's getting stronger! We have to do something before he gets to full power." Dipper was red in the face and his blue and white cap was slightly askew.

Ford shook his head, "We can't _do_ anything without enough information. We don't know what Bill wants or how he's going to go about getting it. It's too much of a liability to go rushing headfirst into this."

I walked forward, stopping the conversation in its tracks, "Ford, we need to talk."

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

"Yeah, its weird. So can you understand what they're saying?" I had just finished playing back the recording and telling Ford what I had seen.

Ford rubbed his chin, "Hm, it's definitely latin, but with a mix of demon. It will take some time to translate it completely, but I think what they're saying is that someone, a he, has a plan to open something. And that if I find out, I'll kill them. If I had to guess, I would say that Bill is trying to open the rift, but I don't know how or when. Are you sure that's everything?"

I nodded, "I got out of there as soon as Tiffany went to check the halls. Do you have any idea what the first part was?"

Ford shook his head, "No, but I'll get translating it immediately. Why don't you two go off somewhere and do your homework, you can't help with this." I shrugged, but Dipper got red in the face and stomped off onto the elevator. I looked to Ford with a quizzical glance, he sighed, "Dipper feels that we should warn the town about Bill's possible reappearance, but due to the Never You Mind All That Act, he would just be thrown into jail for a while. I'm not sure how to convince him that we should wait a while before doing anything rash."

I shrugged and replied in an equally quiet voice, "From what I can tell about Dipper, he wants to do what's best for everyone, even if it will get him in prison for a while." I turned around and walked onto the elevator with Dipper, heading upstairs to work on our math.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

As the last rays of sunlight kissed the horizon, I crept up the stairs to the attic where the twins were lying.

"Psst! Psst!" I shook Dipper awake.

He opened his eyes and glared, "Arylia, what's going on?"

I smiled and pulled him up, "I wanna show you something."

Dipper's eyes lit up with interest, "What is it?"

I pressed my finger up to my lips, "It's a surprise." I grabbed his wrist and led him down the stairs, making sure to keep the sound of our footsteps to a minimum. As we reached to door, I opened it and smiled at Dipper, who was getting his shoes on along with his vest. As we exited the shack, a warm breeze blew across us, seeming to tell us _keep going_. Dipper looked at me with wonder and excitement, giving me the impression of a kid on an adventure. We walked through the forest, over logs and under branches until we came to the entrance of Birch's clearing.

I turned to Dipper, "Okay, I'm about to show you something that I haven't shown anyone else. Birch brought me here last night and it's absolutely stunning at night. Now see the beauty that is a clearing in the woods of night." I pushed him into the clearing and listened to the wonder-filled gasp coming from the teen. I walked in after him and nearly gasped myself; the flowers were all turned towards the entrance and were lit by moonlight. Dipper was looking around at the clearing when a handful of birds swooped down, singing so sweetly that a small bubble of laughter escaped my lips. We looked at eachother and smile, then Dipper did something I did not expect, he sneezed.

"Ah- _choo_!" I gasped and Dipper turned red.

I pointed and squealed, "You sneeze like a kitten!"

Dipper crossed his arms, "I do not!"

I laughed, "Do too!"

Dipper turned away from me and huffed, "I don't see what the big deal is."

I sobered up quickly at the misery in his voice, "Hey, its nothing to be ashamed of."

Dipper turned to me with tears in his eyes, "Easy for you to say, you've never been teased because of something you can't control!"

I frowned, "Yes I have, believe it or not, my sneeze is worse than yours."

Dipper cocked an eyebrow, "Oh, I doubt that." I sighed and stuck my nose up next to a flower, inhaled, and let out the loudest, highest pitched sneeze ever. Dipper blinked, "Huh, I guess it is." He started laughing, "And I thought mine was bad!"

I blushed, "Yeah, yeah, yak it up."

Dipper stopped laughing and smiled at me, "Well, at least I found someone who's got it worse off than me." I smiled back and moved closer to him, only to trip on a hidden tree root. This caused me to fall on top of Dipper, who proceeded to fall onto his back with me on top. We both blushed and I rolled off into the cool grass.

We looked at the moon in silence for a while, "It's really nice tonight."

Dipper nodded and smiled, "Yep." A chilly breeze brushed across my skin and I shivered, leaning into Dipper for warmth. He stiffened, "What are you doing?"

I looked up at him, "Staying warm." Dipper nodded and closed his eyes. I looked up at the stars, falling asleep to the soft light of Ursa Major.

That night, my dreams were not of the world ending, but of a strange square being seeking my help.

 **Oh wow, who's the square I wonder (I hope you all know who I'm talking about). Okay, so there's a poll on my account for something that will come later in the story (I can't tell you what it is yet) so please go vote. That special thing will come much later, but I want everyone to have plenty of time to vote.**

 **Mabel: Let me tell you, its gonna be BIG. Bigger than Grunkle Stan's pug trafficking business.**

 **Stanley: I object to that! (Hurry Fernando, get them across the border!)**

 **Ooh, one more thing. During this mystery event, I will be putting in several OC's, so send me a PM with the character's description and personality. Of course, the talent show coming up will also accept candidates.**

 **Dipper: First come, first serve! Don't procrastinate for weeks before sending the description!)**

 **I feel like it'll be fine. And don't forget to check out my other story, Come Here My Pet. Right now its taking off like a rocket!**

 **Ford: And shooting off into the Nightmare Realm… I still don't think that its a good idea to allow that.**

 **XD Who cares! I think its a great idea and you can't make me stop! For those of you who actually** _ **do**_ **review, try to dig deeper into the dream. I hide meanings in pretty much EVERYTHING in the story, please just look around for things like, I dunno, flower meanings or google translate! I digress, don't forget to FFR (FollowFavoriteReview) and Ciao for now!**


	9. Square Dreams for the Weary

**Hey my comets! So, this is just a really short and sweet chapter that I whipped up in about an hour or two. My muses are taking a short siesta right now, so we'll just cut right to the chase: I do** _ **NOT**_ **own Gravity Falls or its characters, sorry y'all. Okay, review time!**

 **Evermore101: I've read fanfics before, but this is one of the better ones. I have almost never been as desperate for more chapters as I have with this one. Please write more!**

 **Oh, thank you so much! I feel so loved knowing that comets like you enjoy what I write. Now, I know you've been reading my other stories (yes comets, I check that) and I'm so glad that you enjoy my stories. For you, I might just make a special partner for a certain event in the future.**

 **Star Windbreaker: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS! I LOVE IT ARY! ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! Who knew Dipper had a good singing voice? Especially while singing RADIOACTIVE! REALLY ARY! WELP! 8 MORE CHAPTERS! He he he he he! HEY! HOW DID BILL GET OVER THAT MABEL JUICED BROCCOLI? TELL ME ARY! SO! MANY! QUESTIONS! YAAAAAAAAAASA! Wow this is SOOOOOOOO long! OH WELL! So... ONE MORE! ONE MORE! ONE MORE! ONE MORE! STAY AWAY FROM ******** ARY! I'M WARNING YOU! STAY AAAAAAWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!**

 **-Your insufficient sister, Star Windbreaker**

 ***crawls back after being blown away* Okay... well then, that was a very... energetic chapter. I believe that Bill is fine now *goes to check sleeping dream demon* yeah, he's fine. One more thing... I have told you comets time and time again, _please_ don't type out who a certain character is, just for those few people who haven't figured it out... or for those with different theories entirely.**

 **For this chapter, I believe that a new theory may surface, but it might not... if it doesn't then I'll just be disappointed with you all. Now on with the show!**

 _I was sitting in the middle of a valley full of long grass with a smile on my face as I took in my surroundings. Emerald waves rippling in the summer wind, birds chirping in the air, flower petals dancing through the air on wind channels. I closed my eyes and sighed, that moment could have lasted forever._

 _Unfortunately, everything must end._

 _As I was enjoying the sun on my face, a cold wind whipped through the air and my eyelids went from red to black. I opened my eyes to see that everything was perfectly still, but also in only brown tones, bringing me to confusion. As I looked around, the sound of a computer booting echoed through the valley and my heart filled with tension. I slowly turned around to find a semi-large, dark bluish-violet square with a goat's eye in the center of it, a bowler hat, a necktie, arms and legs, and an umbrella floating in front of me._

 _I took a step back and held my hands out in a defensive position, "GAH!"_

 _The square came a bit closer, also holding its hands out, "Whoah, whoah, don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Much to my surprise, the square had a smooth British accent that calmed my nerves. "My name is Tad Strange and I've come here to seek your assistance in dealing with an, ahem, pest."_

 _I narrowed my eyes at the demon, but lowered my hands, "What kind of pest?"_

 _Tad rolled his umbrella around, "Oh, you know, the normal kind. Quite annoying really, keeps trying to push my friend into quite horrible decisions. Trust me when I say that removing this pest would be beneficial to you and your friends as well. Especially Pine Tree."_

 _I just looked at Tad quizzically, "Who?"_

 _Tad closed his eye for a moment, then opened it to show the image of a sleeping Dipper cuddling up next to me, "I believe you know him, unless you are in the business of sleeping next to complete strangers."_

 _I looked at the demon in surprise and disgust, "I'm not like that, and yes, I know him. I just didn't know that he had another name."_

 _Tad closed his eye again and opened it to reveal his horizontal slit, "Well, that happens to be his symbol on Cipher's wheel. Cipher continually calls him that, I suppose it just wore off on me after a few millenia."_

 _I folded my arms, "So what do you want? I know how this goes, I want something and you offer to give it to me but in exchange for something that at the time seems small and insignificant but actually might ruin my life."_

 _Tad's eye widened, "Oh no, no, no, dear child. Or should I say dear teenager?"_

 _When I realized he was waiting for me to respond, "Well, I suppose dear child is fine." I shrugged my shoulders, put at ease by Tad's calm demeanor and politeness. For some reason, when he called me child it wasn't so bad._

 _Tad clasped his hands together and looked so happy it made me smile, "Excellent! Now, to answer your question, I want the "pest" gone. That is all."_

 _My eyebrows shot up, "Seriously?"_

 _Tad nodded (if you could call it that), "Seriously."_

 _I bit my lip, "Alright, who's the pest?"_

 _Tad's eye narrowed, "Pyronica."_

 _My eyes widened and my jaw dropped, "I just heard someone talk about Pyronica today!"_

 _Tad nodded (more like bobbed forward I suppose), "Yes, that is one of the reasons why I chose you to help me. One of the others was the fact that you would benefit greatly from her destruction."_

 _I closed my eyes for a moment, thinking about my options, then opened them again, "Alright, what's the bet?"_

 _Tad clapped his hands and got such an expression of joy that a small giggle escaped my lips, "The bet is that you will be able to get rid of Pyronica before your talent show. By get rid of, I don't mean kill, I just mean banish her to another realm. If you so wish, you could even allow her_ familiar _to remain in this dimension, although I highly suggest leaving Pyronica in the_ familiar _and being rid of it as well."_

 _I furrowed my brow in confusion, "What's a_ familiar _? I overheard some people talking about them, but I don't know what it means."_

 _Tad blinked, "Ah, a_ familiar _is a being that holds at least a part of the essence of another within them. The bond between two beings can be so strong that when one dies, the essence of the dead being is held inside the_ familiar _for safe keeping until either the_ familiar _dies, the essence regenerates enough to regain its original form, or the essence is released by either force or co-operation. In Pyronica's case, she made a deal to allow her and a halfling succubus to share souls so that she could be saved were she ever to be destroyed. This means that she will remain within her_ familiar _until her essence regenerates enough to sustain body on her own."_

 _I nodded slowly, "Okay, so how do I banish her?"_

 _If the demon could have smile he would have, he was (quite literally) glowing with joy, "That's simple, you just need to recite an incantation that I shall give you if you can trap Pyronica within a binding circle."_

 _I thought for a moment, "What do I get if I win?"_

 _Tad laughed for a moment, "Straight to the point, I believe you and I will make dearest compatriots. If you succeed, I will train you in your powers and I will owe you a favor. If you lose, I will still train you; however, I will ask a favor of you in the future. So what do you say Diamonds? Is it a bet?" As he said this, Tad stuck out his hand and almost instantly it was coated in golden flames. I looked down at the flames and a feeling of certainty filled me, readying me for what I was about to do._

 _I looked up straight into Tad's eye, "It's a bet."_

 **WHOAAAAAAAH! Why did she just do that? You don't make a deal with demons, that's pretty much a major rule! Okay, I know this was short, but I wanted to get it out there before tomorrow, because in the next chapter (whenever** _ **that's**_ **posted) you'll get something** _ **extra**_ **special. Please FFR (FollowFavoriteReview) and remember to PM me your OC's! Finally, _PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!_ vote on the poll on my account, I need to figure out the special theme. If no one votes, I'll just pick a theme, and it will be a really stupid one or I will just go without one. Trust me, you don't want that. Okay, bye! Ciao for now!**


	10. Hmm, Alrighty Then

**Oh. My. Gosh. OHMIGOSH! My comets, we have hit, I repeat,** _ **we have hit**_ **OVER 20 REVIEWS! OHMIGOSHOHMIGOSHOHMIGOSH! Thank you** _ **so**_ **much comets! You have no idea how much this means to me. And on top of that, the 20th review coincided with the 10th chapter! HOW COOL IS THAT?! In honor of this groundbreaking achievement (at least for me) I will create a bit of a backstory for Mr. Stanford and you will get a** _ **HUGE**_ **hint for a certain lineage… I will not names names (but you'll all see)**

 **Dipper: First, there are the reviews**

 **Well** _ **duh**_ **, I was gonna get to that! What do you think I am, some kind of clutz who would forget to post if it weren't for her sister bugging her all the time about it?**

 **All muses:... *cricket noises***

 **Don't answer that. Now gimme! *sticks out arm and takes list* ahem.**

 **EMObillcipher89: I like this…**

 **I knew Birch was ***** I could tell by his fake name. In a chose your own venture book (A/N those things are BOSS!), the AXOLOTL said a poam and one of the lines said something about birch trees...**

 **Looking forword for the chapter…**

 **Classic *****... I should've known he was tricking us. I saw a meme where Mabel and Dipper was using Bill as a pinana. The perfect punishment…*evil smirk* *pulls out a baseball bat***

 **Anyways, until next time!**

 **-(Former)EMObillcipher89 (I try to label my reveiws, but fanfiction just changes to guest.)**

 **P.S. don't buy gold. It's a waste of time and money. Look up that username, my account still exists!**

 **Phew! That was long. Wait…** _ **YOU'RE**_ **NIKKI FANG?! I love you so much! That was an** _ **excellent**_ **punch. Seriously. I really hope that Fantasy Fan 833 reads this, just because I want to see what one of my fav authors thinks of my writing. Anyways, like I tell everyone else,** _ **PLEASE DON'T USE THAT NAME IN YOUR REVIEWS!**_ **There might be (I seriously doubt it, but I'm doing this just in case) some people who don't know who Birch is. Besides, I have to tell you guys that he's Not What He Seems… sort of. (hope you like that little reference) And I think that Bill being a piñata… Onwards!**

 **EMObillcipher89 (Part Deux): I just read your profile...I found that you like Ninjago...HOLY ****! (A/N please don't use curse words, they burn my soul)**

 **I'm so happy! I'm a HUGE fan of it too. But don't be emmbarrised about it...just remember your bullying statement. There are people in collage who love Ninjago, too…**

 **Anyways, i'm liking this…(at least Tad isn't telling her to kill Bill…) I always thought that Pyronica was Bill's exe…**

 **Meh...i'm bored…**

 **Bye…**

 **-(Former)EMObillcipher89**

 **Oh my gosh, that's so sweet! I do** _ **NOT**_ **endorse bullying, stand up for others comets! Okay, you are a pretty bright comet for your excitement, so I will overlook the curse word… for now… Also, if you're bored, check out my other stories. They're pretty good (that's just me) but please don't read I Feel Like A Monster, it's badly written and I'm working on making it better… pretty much failing so if any of you comets want to adopt it, go right ahead. Well, not that last bit connecting the story to Portal Madness, just because that's my series. Continuing on.**

 **JokersDaughterOfChaos: I love this story! Keep up the good work!**

 **Oh, thank you so much! It warms my heart that you were able to take the time to write a review. And I will try my darndest to continue writing this story!**

 **Evermore101: Cool! I've never read a fic that involved Tad making a bet. Please post more! Will she win the bet? Or lose? What will the favor be? I have so many questions!**

 **Whoah nelly, slow down my curious friend! I can't tell you the information on public space, but I** _ **can**_ **PM you, so be prepared for a message soon.**

 **Nightfall100: So, I read the name Birch Elpil.**

 **I stare at it for a few seconds.**

 **I rearrange the letters.**

 ***slowly closes computer***

 **Tee hee hee! You didn't write the name! Yay! Okay, that review made me smile, I almost laughed out loud, but I didn't due to the fact that I was in class when I wrote this (I do have class, but I feel an obligation to write this you crazy cooks!)**

 **Nightfall100: Wait, Tad Strange!  
(I thought he was normal. I guess his name suits him now)  
I absolutely LOVE dream chapters.  
(is this a reverse cipher thing? I mean, he is a shape, with a hat, and a stick-like thing. what's it called?)  
next. chapter. NOW! (please)**

 **Okay, first off, there's a weird theory out there that Tad Strange is actually a dream demon (maybe Bill's brother as he said that his brother was a real** _ **SQUARE**_ **). I have chosen to take a spin off of that idea. Don't look at me like that, its perfectly legal (in the realm of fanfiction tee hee). Second off, I like drea chapters too, anything can happen and because its only a dream, nothing in the canon realm is really messed up. Third off, Tad is** _ **NOT**_ **a reverse Cipher thing… its a special thing that will be revealed after a certain talisman is found (won't come in until at least next chapter though), and that stick-like thing is called a cane, but Tad has an umbrella (look him up comets, it'll make your lives a whole lot easier). Fourth off, this is the next chapter, so no need to be pushy.**

 **All righty then, I think that's it.**

 **Mabel: So are you going to introduce** _ **her**_ **now?**

 **-_-' What did I tell you about spoilers? Now I** _ **can't**_ **bring** _ **her**_ **in, they'll be expecting it.**

 **Dipper: Um, but isn't that the point? It'll give them a chance to prepare.**

… **You have a point… but no, I have to confirm the design with the real person to make sure she doesn't hate me.**

I opened my eyes to Dipper's smile right next to my face, a slight swish of his breath tickling my face and tufts of brown hair falling into his. I smiled softly and looked around, the grass below was bouncy and fresh, the flowers barely opening and wearing dewdrop hair snoods, the trees rustling in the slight autumn wind. I closed my eyes and leaned into Dipper, a sigh teasing at my lips and my heart fluttering in excitement.

Dipper shifted, allowing me to lay my head on his chest, and allowing me to listen to the wind; _do not forget our bet_. I looked up and nodded, the dream of the previous night flooding my mind and pouring adrenaline into my body.

 _Well great,_ I thought as I shifted again to look to the side, _now I won't get back to sleep._ As I thought this, the gray light of the almost-morning was penetrated by the light of the sun. I blinked as golden-pink coloring seeped into the sky to push away the gloom of pre-dawn and the last remaining stars in the sky. I looked back up to Dipper to meet his mocha eyes in surprise, _I guess it doesn't matter now._

Dipper smiled at me, "Good morning."

I smiled back, "Same to you."

Dipper stretched, "Alright, we should probably get back before someone notices that we were gone, don't want Mabel going crazy."

I chuckled, "Yeah, who knows what that girl would do. I just hope Stan doesn't freak out once he realizes we're both out at the same time when we could have been working at the shack."

Dipper stood up and held out his hand, teeth shining in a smile and eyes glittering with mischief, "I wonder what would happen if we played a prank on Grunkle Stan."

I shook my head as I took his hand and pulled myself up, "He'd probably stick us with bathroom cleanup duty, we probably shouldn't… but it would be so fun!" I was about to say more but caught Dipper's horrified expression and whipped around. I held in a scream of terror as I realized that just above where our heads had previously been was a large stone triangle with a glowing golden crack down it and a hand sticking out towards us, almost as though reaching to pull us into whatever dark cesspool it came from.

I backed up a step, "What. The heck. Is that?!"

Dipper tensed, "Bill."

I looked back at him, "I thought he was gone, _this does not look like he's gone!_ "

Dipper looked around and grabbed my wrist, "C'mon, we've got to tell Ford." As Dipper pulled me away from the clearing, I remembered something.

"Hold on a sec, I have to put something back!" I slipped my hand out of his and ran back to the clearing, sliding my hand into my pocket and coming back out with the ring. With jolts of fear coursing through me, I moved slowly towards the statue and laid the ring back down in front of it.

"Sorry about that, this is probably yours." As I set it down, the feeling of warm breath spread across my neck, raising the hair along it and making me release a small "eep". I whipped around to find no one there and raced out of the clearing to meet Dipper who was looking at me like I was insane. I grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the quickly darkening place, calming down with every step I took.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

When we reached the shack, Mabel, Stan, and Ford were already awake and cooking pancakes.

"Hey Arylia, hey Dip Dop! Where were you? You almost missed Stancakes!"

My eyes were wide as I shut the door with a slam, "Uh, Great Uncle Ford? We need to talk." Dipper's voice broke and I turned to look at him. His hair was tousled by the wind from rushing through the woods, a couple pine needles were stuck in his clothes, and his eyes were wide with terror.

 _What's he so scared of?_ I thought as Ford looked up from his coffee.

"What is it Dipper? Did something happen?" I closed my eyes at the barrage of questions directed at Dipper and walked over to sit at the table.

Mabel looked at me with worry, "Hey, you okay Ary?"

I looked up at her, "Uh, not really. Dipper and I were out at this clearing and there was this stone triangle thing at one of the edges, really creepy, and Dipper freaked out so we left." I cringed inside, not wanting to tell her about us sleeping out there. Stan did a spit take and Mabel's jaw dropped, "What? Okay, I know it's Bill's statue, but is it really that bad?"

"It is." I turned around to look at Ford who had a mask of worry on his face. "Arylia, Dipper, could you come down to my office please?" I bit my lip and nodded, getting up to follow the man.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

As we reached the room below the shack, Ford turned around and rubbed his forehead, "Alright, out with it. What happened, and I don't mean the version that has been censored. Arylia, I assume you're the one behind this. Tell me what on _earth_ possessed you to bring Dipper to the clearing that has been holding Bill's shell."

Dipper and I looked at eachother and back at Ford, "Um, well… I finished my homework and was just sitting in my room…

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _I sat in my room, exhaustion from my math and the work of the day finally setting in. I laid my head down and closed my eyes, ready to fall asleep, but something felt off._ I opened my eyes to see the world in tones of green and a note on my bedside, so I read it.

Hi, this is your subconscious speaking.

Because you are _way_ too adamant about

keeping your emotions on lockdown, I have

opted to give you this message in the hopes

that you won't be stupid anymore. Bring

the boy to the clearing, you know who I'm talking

about. Trust me, you won't regret it. One

more thing, don't put on anymore jewelry

but your conscious mind already figured

that out. Good luck!

I blinked and let out a low whistle, then looked around a bit more. The room seemed all the same as it was in reality, albeit all in green, except for a diamond in the window that was shifting colors in a mélange of silver, white, blue, and black. I walked over to the glass and peered at the shape, biting my lip in concentration. Suddenly, the center of the diamond opened into an eye and I screamed.

 _I had sat up, gasping without breath and shaking with fear. For some reason, the diamond's eye instilled fear in my heart and my body was shot through with adrenaline ice. As I sat there, catching my breath, I thought about the note my subconscious had left me._ What is she, erm, am I talking about? _I thought as I pulled my knees up to my chest. I closed my eyes and huffed, I hated cryptic messages, and now that I was giving them to myself I was frustrated to the point of screaming._

 _I looked over at the window, diamondless once again, and I bit my lip._ Why do I do this to myself? _I shifted a bit, causing pins and needles to strike my side and eliciting a hiss from my mouth. I cringed and looked out the window at the pine forest in the sunset, the dark trees stained with a bleeding light. I gasped as I realized what my dream had meant, and jumping up and switching out my pj's for my clothes of the day I prepared for my trip._

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

By the time I finished with the beginning, Ford had gone a full shade paler than he had been before.

Dipper furrowed his brow in concern, "Um, Great Uncle Ford? Are you okay?"

Ford blinked and nodded, "Yes, yes, continue please."

I blushed a bit and nodded, "Well, I ran up to Dipper's room and woke him up, then I took him to this clearing Birch had shown me. We stayed there for a while and fell asleep, we woke up, saw that statue of Bill, I put a ring Birch had found there the other night back on the ground, and we got the heck out of there." Now Ford was almost as white as the sheets on the walls, "Um, are you _sure_ you're okay? You're really pale."

Ford rubbed his hand over his face and started pacing, "The coloring of the dream that set you on this path means either one of two things; that you have an ability to dreamwalk, or that you were visited by an angel named Jace Viridis."

Dipper cocked an eyebrow, "What?"

Ford looked at a machine behind him, "I suppose it would be easiest to show you the memory, I've gotten the machine back up and running after our little… incident last year Dipper."

I turned to look at Dipper in shock, bubbles of excitement popping to see him blushing in embarrassment, "I said I was sorry."

Ford laughed, "I know Dipper, I was only teasing. Now, could you two help me? Unfortunately, the lever had to be turned into a dead-man's switch, so one of you is going to have to hold it. Any takers?"

I rolled my eyes, "Sure, why not." I walked over to the lever in question as Ford put on what appeared to be some kind of colander hat and pushed a button in the back, causing six ribcage-like metal bars to encircle his head. When he nodded, I pushed down on the lever and the screens turned on to show Ford stepping out of a glowing, blue, circular hole.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _Ford looked around as he exited the portal, disappointment piercing his heart when he realized that he wasn't back in Gravity Falls. Everything was a dark wasteland, black rocks poking out of a bleak landscape of gray-brown earth and orange-hot lava. Sharp pricks of worry began tapping him all over as he noticed the tavern-like building nearby, just far enough away from the lava river so as not to burn down. He shuddered and looked around, annoyance at the portal gun's inaccuracy seeping into his being._

 _Ford took a deep breath to calm himself and almost threw up at the stench of sulfur and brimstone around him. He quickly pulled up his mask to cover his mouth and nose, breathing easier once they started the air filtration process. Ford started walking towards the building despite his wariness, knowing full well that it was unlikely that he would find who he was looking for in there._

 _As Ford opened the door, lightning bolts of adrenaline coursed through him as he realized that there were two-dimensional demons sitting, floating, and fighting all around the room. As he backed out the door, something slammed into him from behind and he fell prone on the ground._

" _Well, well, well. Look what we got here boys! It's a fleshbag!" Ford rolled over, stifling a groan, and stared up at a navy blue hexagon with an eye in the center of it. Its head held an ascot cap, just barely darker than its skin, and it held a cigar in its hand._

 _Ford gritted his teeth and stood up, "Excuse me."_

 _The demon laughed, "Where are you going Fleshbag? I didn't even get to slip in for a moment."_

 _Ford let out a dead laugh, "And you aren't going to."_

 _The demon looked at Ford for a moment, "We'll see about that." With that, the demon began glowing a deep blue and the other demons in the room backed up. Ford gritted his teeth, this demon must have been powerful to have been feared by a roomful of other demons. He looked the hexagon over; it was an isosceles, convex hexagon, so it was a mind demon. The fact that it was wearing a hat_ and _was carrying an item added on the fact that it was very powerful, but Ford let out a sigh of relief as he noticed small nebulas of black along the demon's body. With a flash of blue light, Ford and the demon were both thrown in opposite directions, Ford to the bar where he knocked over several glasses and the demon onto a stage where instruments banged and clashed to the ground._

 _Ford sat up with a groan, "Ow." As Ford made his way to the open door, it slammed shut and clicked._

" _What did you do?!_ _ **WHAT DID YOU DO?!**_ " _Ford turned around to see the hexagon rising from the ground with gray flames licking his hands._

 _Ford smirked and banged on his head, "I had a metal plate implanted."_

 _The demon just floated there for a second, "AHAHAHAHAHA! What'd you do that for? It's not like you-" The demon cut itself off as it narrowed its eye and looked at Ford's hands. "Wait a sec… you're Sixer!"_

 _Ford's face twisted into a snarl, "How do you know that name?"_

 _The hexagon laughed, "How do I know it? I worked for Bill for a few years, got kicked out because Pyronica and I got a little heated." The demon narrowed its eye and if it could, Ford swore it would have been smiling, "I bet if I take you in he'll take me back." Ford's eyes widened and he backed up slowly, subtley checking his portal gun for recharge time. Five minutes. Ford looked back up at the hexagon who had calmed down and was flying over to Ford._

" _C'mon Sixer." Ford was back at the bar and the hexagon was almost directly in front of him when a flash of emerald light eliminated his vision. When he could finally see again, a man with green tipped black hair was standing in front of him. The man was wearing a pale green robe and sandals, and behind him were five-foot long, lime green wings extended to their full capacity. The demons in the room all backed away with a gasp, all except for the hexagon._

" _Hey! What are you doing here? This is an angel free zone!" Ford looked from the hexagon back to the man whose forest green eyes sparkled with kindness and joy._

 _The angel turned to the demon and snarled, "This is my guardian charge, I assume you know what that means."_

 _The hexagon looked puzzled and the angel rolled its eyes, "Of course not, you wouldn't know about that. If my guardian charge is in danger, I am permitted to go_ wher _ever,_ when _ever, to do_ what _ever is needed to bring him to safety. Since I am feeling generous, I will not decimate this entire building and all of you in it, but I will take my charge out." The angel turned back to Ford and was about to speak to him when a bolt of gray flames hit the angel in the back. Ford's eyes widened and he looked back to the hexagon in surprise. Everything seemed to freeze, then all the demons clapped their hands or snapped or whistled or clicked or hummed their way out of the building, all except for the hexagon._

 _The angel chuckled, "You shouldn't have done that." Ford blinked as the angel placed a finger on his head and he was transported to a strange place colored only in shades of green. He looked around to see earth, flowers, trees, and bushes around him, as well as a small spring near the edge. The place was about the size of a football field, and it was silent aside from the bubbling of the brook. As Ford walked around, he felt much calmer and he lowered his mask. When he breathed in, the fresh air seemed to heal every ache and pain in his body and Ford smiled. With another flash of green light, the angel appeared before Ford._

" _I'm sorry if the magic startled you, I sent you to my garden in order to keep you safe from the destruction I was about to wreak."_

 _Ford narrowed his eyes, "Who are you."_

 _The angel smiled, "I am Jace Viribus, your guardian angel. I sincerely hope you do not plan on going back in there, why did you enter that tavern anyway?"_

 _Ford looked away at a small patch of flowers, "That's none of your business."_

 _Jace sighed, "I know you are looking for her, but she certainly was not in that place, so why did you put yourself in unnecessary danger?"_

 _Ford looked back up at Jace with tears in his eyes, "Because I had to see. I've been looking for over a year and I still haven't found her." Jace closed his eyes and began to murmur, "What are you doing?" Jace opened his eyes and a green glow shone onto the grass, showing the image of a woman and two children, one a boy and the other a girl, both with six fingers and all with grime on their clothes._

" _They are who you are looking for, yes?" Ford's eyes widened and he could only nod._

 _Jace closed his eyes and the image winked out, "Don't worry, you'll find them. I cannot take you directly to them, but I can tell you where you will meet them again. If you find Diamond Pine, they will lead you to them. I know not when this shall be, but I know that it will come to pass… only after your heart turns to gold." Ford cocked an eyebrow but said nothing, "When you find Diamonds, tell her that I trust Tad, and that she should as well, if only for her lineage. Farewell Stanford Pines, we shall meet again."_

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I smiled as the images on the screen went black, hiding the shock and worry that was coursing through me from his message, "He seems like a cool guy."

Ford nodded, "He was, but the fact that he may have visited you disturbs me. If I remember correctly, angels only visit those who are their kin or are their guardian charges, and angels each have only one guardian charge."

Dipper blinked, "So that means…"

Ford sighed, "Yes. Arylia, I sincerely hope you have the power to dreamwalk, or you are in more danger than you could ever fathom."

 **Oooh, I'm getting chills! I told you comets there would be something about lineage in this chapter, so don't call me a liar. So do you all think this is a good chapter?**

 **All muses: *Huddle in corner***

 ***cocks eyebrow* Okay, sheesh, I know it wasn't my best work, but still!**

 **Dipper: *points behind Arylia***

 ***turns around* SWEET MOTHER OF SARSAPARILLA! *runs away***

 **Bill: *crawls out of hidey-hole* Uh, don't forget to FFR (FollowFavoriteReview).**

 **Stan: Okay, that's it. I'm out. *runs away in opposite direction***

 **Dipper: Hey guys? If she dies, what happens to us?**

 **All muses:... SAVE HER!**

 **Mabel: I don't think she'll escape for a while. Ciao for now!**


	11. That's It, I'm Out

**Mabel: Hey comets! I bet you're wondering what happened last chapter. Well, we were attacked by hecklers, flamers, and reviews that were made in the minds and hearts of readers by not submitted, and Arylia disappeared… we aren't sure where she is. We** _ **think**_ **Arylia's safe, but we're not sure.**

 **Dipper: Hey Bill! Is the tracking spell working yet?**

 **Bill: Nope! It's like she disappeared off the face of the earth!**

 **Mabel: I wonder where she went**

 ***Meanwhile***

 **Ugh, where am I? *looks around at inky blackness* Uh, Bill? If this is your idea of a joke, this isn't funny… hello? Aw frack.**

 ***back to the muses***

 **Mabel: Okay, well, she's not dead yet. If she was, we wouldn't be here...that's good… right?**

 **Bill:*shrugs***

 **Dipper: *whistles***

 **Stan: *slides away inconspicuously***

 **Mabel: Right?**

 **Ford: Sure… Arylia does not own Gravity Falls... Oh, there are reviews to respond to...**

 **Dipper: We can't do that!**

 **Bill: *cheshire smile* Oh yes we can! And the two are from the same reviewer.**

 **Dipper: Who?**

 **Bill: Star Windbreaker**

 **Dipper: *runs away into the distance* NOOOOOO!**

 **Star Windbreaker:** **O-O What is this? IS THIS A JOKE? MY LIFE IS OVER! ARY! GOODBYE OLD UNIVERS! HELLO DREAM DEMONS! Te he he he! *picks up some frute* So, that chapter was amaizing! T shrt. WAIT! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET AWAY WITH SHORT CHAPTERS SO YOU DON'T HAVE 6 MORE CHAPERS TO WRITE?**

 **D: I WILL COUNT IT AS 7 MORE CHAPTERS! *squeaks with excitment* MORE FOR ME! YAY!**

 **-your kain sister, Star Windbreaker**

 **Bill: Okay, this girl needs to relax, and I still don't understand why Arylia is planning on bringing her into the story**

 **Mabel: Bill! We weren't supposed to tell them that!**

 **Bill: Meh, who cares? Onwards!**

 **Star Windbreaker (Part Deux):** **I'd like to thank all of you who read my older sister's books. There are flamers out there who just hate on people for the fun of it. Thank you for making my sister happy. *drinks normal coffie* MMM! This tasts good! *twitches* Anywho! So... Ary... Tell Bill to get fealing better cause, I BET BILL TO EAT ANOTHER PEICE OF BROCCOLI! :D *caughs* BILL! MUST! DO! IT! MAKE HIM BARF HIS GUTS OUT! Anywho! THIS CHAPTER WAS AWSOME! LOVE! IT! 7 MORE TO GO! *smilles* te he he he he he he he. I try not to scream at you but... you know how it is *smile turns into a smirk* I know things. *X-Files music starts playing* WELP! NEXT TIME ARYLY! NEXT TIME! MUAHAHAHAHA!**

 **-your astonishing sister, Star Windbreaker**

 **(P.S. DIDN'T DRINK DEATH WISH COFFIE! I DRINK NORMAL NOW! It sucks ;-;)**

 ***muses crawl back from edge of world***

 **Mabel:... I like this girl**

 **Ford: I think I died a bit**

 **Bill:*reads review, turns green, runs to bathroom, retching noises can be heard***

 **Mabel: Uh, he didn't need to eat the broccoli to throw up… ew**

 **Bill:*comes out* Okay, I'll eat the *throws up in mouth* thing… but only if Arylia returns… whenever that is…** **Now on with the story! Wait, how is there a story if Arylia's missing?**

 **All muses: *shrug* mmm**

 **Mabel: Let's keep looking**

I blinked, then blinked again. It seemed Ford and Dipper were waiting for me to answer them, so I spoke three words that would make the most eloquent speaker follow my lead, "Alright, I'm out."

Ford looked at me with sympathy, "Believe me Arylia, I know how terrifying this is. But you can't just say "I'm out' and be done, this will follow you wherever you go

I huffed, "Well what do you expect?! I find out that there's a dream demon after me for some mysterious reason that no one seems to be able to tell me, I'm apparently visited by an angel who will only visit me if I'm its family member, and that's super dangerous apparently, I'm visited by _another_ demon, I spend a night in a clearing where Bill's statue is, and then you tell me I can't escape this crazy business here! So tell me Ford, how do I remain calm?!" At this point I was in full on hysteria and was screaming at the man.

Dipper tapped my shoulder, "Uh, Arylia?"

I whipped over to him, "What?!" I snarled at him, fury coursing through me and more feral than I had ever felt before.

He pointed at my wrist, then my neck, then my eyes, "Look in a mirror." I reeled back in surprise, then turned a bit and walked over to a foot-length mirror to find, much to my surprise and horror, that the jewelry was glowing a bright gold and my eyes had changed from the normal violet to a furious gold and black. My eyes widened and I blinked, calming myself and forcing the hue to return to normal and the glow to die down. When my appearance was back to normal, I took a deep breath and turned around to face the others.

"Alright, if I can't tap out of this, what do I do now?" I put my hands on my hips and cocked an eyebrow.

Ford took off the colander helmet, "First, you could I finished translating part of the conversation you recorded and what I discovered is very disturbing." He walked over to a blackboard covered in chalk symbols and words.

I rolled my eyes, "Oh great, _more_ bad news."

Ford nodded gravely, "It took a while, and several cups of Death Wish Coffee, but I was able to translate this section." The professor pointed at a section of words and symbols. "This section here: 'Axolotl _saeva habet sensus iocus_ ' is talking about a creature named Axolotl having a cruel sense of humor… don't look at me like that, I translated it correctly; I know my latin. I used to write notes to your brother in it and he would reply using spanish, that was our secret code growing up. I digress, this section, ' _Quos volebat occidere nobis et quæramus ipsius circa eius consilium suum aperire quod abruptionis in quod vicesima secunda_ ' is the second person saying that I will kill them and find out about 'his' plan to open the rift on the twenty second. I'm not sure which twenty second, but I will bet stanley's favorite suit that the rift the two were talking about is the rift between our world and the Nightmare Realm. I haven't gotten the rest finished quite yet, but I'm working on it."

I looked around at the chalk, "Hey, do you know what this means?" I pointed at the end of Pyronica's rant.

Ford looked over at where I was pointing, "Oh, yes. This part is when the female demon was talking about a 'cross breed'. If I had to guess, I would say that the girl the two demons you overheard is the one they were talking about. This is worrying, because if there truly _is_ a cross breed in Gravity Falls, that girl would make it all the easier to open the rift."

Dipper furrowed his brow, "Um, Great Uncle Ford? Did they mention what _type_ of cross breed she was? Like what different species she is?"

I gasped as I realized something, "Oh, _that's_ what they were talking about!"

Ford and Dipper looked at me quizzically, waiting for an answer, "When I overheard them, they were talking about how a human girl wasn't actually human, but also demon. They also said that she shouldn't even exist… like you Pines shouldn't exist…"

Dipper looked shocked while Ford rubbed his chin, "I don't suppose they mentioned _why_ we shouldn't exist, did they?"

I laughed sheepishly, "Uh, nope."

Dipper started rubbing his face and collapsed into a chair, "Well that's just great. Mabel and I come back for two days and I find out my whole family shouldn't exist… what are mom and dad going to say to that?"

My eyes widened at the mention of his parents, as it brought back a memory of the last time he mentioned them, "Dipper! We have to get our dance routine learned!"

Dipper groaned and peeked out from under his hands, "Seriously? You're thinking of that _now_?"

I rolled my eyes, "I just remembered, and Mabel will have a meltdown if we don't put all of our effort into this."

Dipper groaned again, but stood up and walked to the elevator, "Are you coming?"

I was about to answer but Ford interrupted, "She will in a moment, I just have to take a bit more blood to test." I groaned but turned to the older man. As the elevator rose, Ford took on a grave look, "Arylia, what you said earlier, when the jewelry activated."

I sighed, "I get it, your family has been through much worse. I know I shouldn't be complaining, and since this won't go away you won't be hearing anything negative from me about it."

Ford shook his head, "No, you're completely within your rights, and I understand. This is very frightening, but I'm not worried or upset about that. What I _am_ worried about is you were visited by a demon, when did this happen?"

I forced a laugh, a deeply ingrained feeling warning me that I shouldn't tell Ford about Tad, "Oh, that. I was talking about that bird in the forest, it was gold and black and had golden cats eyes. Dipper saw it too, I honestly thought it was a demon when I saw it." I smiled and willed with all of my being for Ford to believe my poorly made story.

Much to my surprise, Ford smiled and his eyes cleared of worry, "Don't worry Arylia, that was just a bird. Albeit a tainted bird, but just a bird all the same. Now go on and learn that dance routine, I would rather not have to deal with Mabel crying all day whenever this talent show is."

I blinked and words poured out of my mouth automatically, "Two weeks until the talent show, so I'd better hurry up." I bit the inside of my cheek, the feeling that I had to hurry pressing against my chest. "See ya Ford!" I ran over to the elevator and climbed inside, frowning to myself in worry as the door closed and Ford shook his head in confusion.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

Dipper and I bumped into eachother yet _again_ as the chorus started.

Wendy and Mabel were cringing on the sidelines, "No offense, but you guys can't dance together at _all_."

Dipper rubbed his head, "Well excuse us, but this is kind of a hard song to come up with a routine to. Freestyle is what I do, not choreography."

I sighed, "I don't think we'll get this down by the time the talent show comes up, sorry Mabes."

Mabel's eyes began to well up with tears, but Wendy came just in time with a solution, "Look, I didn't want to have to do this, but I'd rather not see the Mabel waterworks and I kinda think that you and Dipper would make up a cute pair for this routine, so I'm gonna do it. I know this girl who I've been friends with since grade school, and she happens to be a choreographer in training at the dance studio on the edge of town. I guess I can ask her to do something for us, but I'm not sure you would want that. What she comes up with is pretty advanced, so you might not be able to keep up with it."

Dipper looked up at the redhead from the ground, "Wendy. Look at us. Literally _anything_ is better than this, and I know that I'll practice the dance in my sleep if I have to."

I chuckled, it was so sweet how he wanted to make his sister smile, "Me too. C'mon Wendy, call her up!"

Wendy sighed and looked up at the sky, "I have pity for you two." With that, she walked in the direction of the town, leaving the twins and me there, Dipper on top of me and Mabel smiling like it was christmas.

"What's so funny?"

Mabel hummed, "Oh, nothing. Just, _blackmail!_ " She whipped out a small silver camera and took a picture of us on the ground, causing Dipper to blush bright red.

He jumped off me, "C'mon Mabel, you still have _summer's_ blackmail, don't make more!"

Mabel giggled, "Oh, it's not for you." My eyes widened at this and I jumped up, ripping the camera from her hands. "Hey!"

Dipper stared for a moment, then burst out laughing, "Oh boy, run Arylia! Run before she catches you!" I smiled and took off, deleting the picture from the camera with Mabel right behind me. We bobbed and weaved throughout the yard, dodging rocks and logs and miscellaneous objects strewn throughout the grass. As we neared the forest, Mabel tripped and went flying, landing on top of me. We lay on the ground giggling when a small, soft blue light appeared in the forest, seeming to emanate from thin air. Mabel gasped and pulled herself off of me, then backed up with one hand gripping my arm. Within moments, Dipper was next to us, getting ready to fight as Mabel took up an aggressive position. I stared at the light, preparing for anything to come from it.

Suddenly, the light flashed brightly, then faded, and in its place was a boy with cyan hair and a tuxedo of the same color. I blinked at the boy who was shaking, almost as though in fear, and who had blue manacles on his wrists.

"Uh, hey, are you okay?" I asked as I neared him. The boy looked up, revealing eyes of pure cobalt and a look of terror.

"Where am I?" He asked.

I furrowed my brow, "Um, Gravity Falls. How'd you do that?"

The boy gained a look of absolute horror and he fell back onto the ground, "Uuuugh… can you tell me what dimension this is?"

I blinked in confusion, then turned back to the twins, "Hey Dipper, what dimension is this?"

The boy shot up at that, then looked at the brunettes, "Oh no…" And with that, he fainted. I looked at the twins, who were looking at me and eachother, then back at the teen.

Oh boy.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I brought in a mug of warm tea to the living room where the strange teen was lying on the couch and switched out the cloth on the boy's head, worry pricking at my heart as I stared at his pale face.

Dipper had brought Ford up and the man was checking information from his the backup journals Stan had made, "I'm not sure who this is, but I know that he's not of this world. He asked you what dimension this was?" I nodded, "Perhaps he is from another dimension. And you say that he fainted at the sight of the twins?" I nodded again, checking the teen's temperature. "Hm, perhaps in this other dimension, Dipper and Mabel somehow hurt him. Or chained him up, that would explain the manacles. Dipper, would you mind touching them for a moment?" Dipper bit his lip, but touched them carefully with his index finger. At first, nothing happened, but then a bright blue glow illuminated the room and I couldn't see anything. When it faded, the chains on the teen's wrists were gone and he looked almost relaxed. I smiled at the relaxed state of the stranger, then gasped as his eyelids fluttered and opened.

I smiled at him, "Hey there."

The boy smiled shyly, then bolted upright, "Where am I, what dimension is this?"

Ford held his hands out in a calming manner, "Relax, you're in the Mystery Shack and this is dimension 35-B. What's your name?"

The boy sighed in relief and fell back onto the couch, "My name's Will, Will Cipher." At the exclamation of the last name, everyone in the room began to freak out in their own way. Mabel started running around in circles and waving her sweater clad hands in the air while screaming "EEEEK!", Dipper went pale as snow, and Ford was grinning from ear to ear.

"Will? It's me Stanford!"

Will looked up at Ford and a smile crossed his face, "Sixford!" Will jumped up and ran over to give Ford a big bear hug, much to everyone's surprise. Dipper actually fainted and Mabel just stopped, mouth wagging up and down like a fish out of water.

I just stood there watching the scene for a minute, until I facepalmed, "Alright, can someone tell me what the hey is going on here?"

Ford smiled and laughed, hugging Will back, "Will and I met when I was in the portal. He might be Bill's twin, but he's almost the complete opposite him. What happened to you?"

Will's smile slowly slipped off his face, "After I helped you and Amorette out of that arena, I worked on my spellcasting with Milly. After a few years I got a summon from dimension 37-C, where _those two_ " At this he pointed at Dipper and Mabel, "used a spell from one of that dimension's journals to trap me and do their bidding. I finally worked up the energy to find my _familiar_ and teleport both him and me into this dimension."

I narrowed my eyes at Will, "So this isn't your body… whose is it?"

Will looked at me and laughed, "When dream demons spawn, a special _familiar_ is born somewhere. That _familiar_ has an automatic pact with the demon, and vice versa, which makes having a body easier. My _familiar_ was near death when I found him, apparently we both have a tendency to be beat up by others, so I slid his soul away temporarily to prevent the body's death. Right now, his soul is recuperating and I'm in control of the body. I could leave any time I like, but right now Cire Phliwl's soul wouldn't be able to sustain the body anymore, causing it to die and forcing his soul to enter my demon body… not exactly the best place for it to heal."

I rapidly did a mental check, "Cire Philwl? Isn't that Will Cipher just mixed around?"

Will nodded, "Yep, dream demons' _familiar's_ names are always an anagram of the demon's name."

Mabel walked over to Will who was sitting down on the couch and levitating the tea mug to him, "So, you aren't going to destroy the world? Or trick us out of our bodies? Or try to kill everyone we love?"

Will looked up at Mabel and shied away, "Um, no… that's, ah, that's more my brother's thing."

Ford frowned, "Mabel? Could you spare a moment?" Mabel smiled and bounded over to him.

I sat down next to Will who was staring at the tea mug sitting on the table, "Are you okay?"

Will looked at me, "Y-yeah… I'm fine… so… do you live here with them?"

I nodded, "Well, not _with_ them so much as, _at their house_. So where are you going to live?

Will frowned, "I didn't think that far ahead. I suppose I was hoping that Sixford would take me in if he had made it back to this dimension, that was part of the reason why I went to this dimension instead of the Nightmare Realm with my brother, he doesn't really care that much about me." I nodded in understanding, my sister seemed that way. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, I would not think about her, not after what she did.

I opened my eyes, "So, Bill isn't the nicest brother."

Will nodded sadly, "Yeah, he didn't do anything when the other demons beat me up, or he just joined in. He did need to get rid of his excess anger often, or our dimension would burn, so I'm glad I could help. I just wish he would have paid more attention to me when I needed him."

I sighed, "I know the feeling. Hey, I get that the twins in that other dimension hurt you, but our Dipper and Mabel aren't anything like that. Just get to know them. Dipper's smart, kind, and wouldn't hurt a fly unless it threatened him or his family, and Mabel's sweet, caring, and won't let anyone hurt you, even if it means she gets hurt."

Will looked at me and smiled hesitantly, "They sound nice… I just wish they didn't look like the Gleeful twins." He looked like he was about to say something else, but caught a glint of light from my necklace. He paled even further, "Where did you get that?"

I looked down, "This? Oh, a guy at school gave it to me. Why? Have you seen it before?"

Will shook his head slowly, "No, it just seems… strange." I cocked an eyebrow but said nothing because Ford and Mabel had just come back.

Ford smiled at Will, "Alright Will. This is Mabel Pines, my great niece, and the boy on the floor is Dipper Pines, my great nephew. I need to run some tests downstairs to make sure that the rift didn't open." With that, Ford left Will alone with Mabel, an unconscious Dipper, and me.

Mabel clapped her hands together, "Alright, how about we play some get to know you games!" I shook my head slightly, but Mabel just rushed on, "We could play truth or dare, 20 questions, the m&m game, or anything else! C'mon, what'll it be Will?"

Will just shrank back from Mabel's excited face, "Um, I, uh-"

I gave Mabel a look, "Oh, right… you just woke up… how about some Mabel Juice? It'll wake you right up!"

My eyes widened in horror, "Uh, Mabel, I don't think-" But she was already gone. I turned to Will, "Whatever you do, _don't drink it!_ It's like coffee and nightmares had a baby."

Will was about to reply when Mabel burst in with a tall glass of Mabel Juice, "Here you go! I made it this morning, so its nice and fresh!" I shied away from the vile liquid but, against my warning, Will picked up the glass and took a long drink of it. Suddenly his eyes glowed bright blue and various objects in the room started floating around.

I screamed alongside Mabel as we were lifted into the air, I looked around and grabbed onto the fish tank bolted into the wall. I looked through the glass and the water directly into the beady black eyes of the axolotl. I turned my head to Will who was peering at the floating objects with a look of surprise and intrigue. Within moments, Ford ran into the room and gasped, "Will! What are you doing?" At the sound of Ford's voice, Will turned and all objects returned semi-close to the ground. The teen did a spit-take with the Mabel Juice and everything went back to normal.

Ford closed his eyes and rubbed them with his hand, "Alright, what happened?"

Will pointed at the glass of Mabel Juice on the floor, "Mabel brought me that and told me to drink it, so I did, then my powers activated without me even thinking about it."

Ford narrowed his eyes in thought, "Perhaps Mabel Juice activates demon's powers. We would have to test it, but Mabel, I believe you have created a power steroid!"

Mabel grinned from ear to ear, "YAY!"

I looked around at the now perfectly normal room, "This's just like what happened when _I_ drank that stuff, well, except I sort of smashed everything."

Ford let out a small 'hmm", "Maybe you two are related somehow."

I shuddered, "I hope not. No offence Will, but I'd rather not be related in _any_ way to Bill."

Will sighed, "I understand."

I looked down at the still unconscious form of Dipper, "Uh, Ford? Is he going to wake up any time soon?"

Ford looked to his great nephew and checked his pulse, "Of course. It may take a few more hours though, if he's anything like I was his age."

I cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Ford chuckled, "Well, I have a fairly rare medical condition that can cause me to lose consciousness for periods of time when I am presented with something extremely frightening or startling. The metal plate in my head prevents it now, but I used to faint all the time back when Fiddleford and I worked on the portal in the basement. I suppose Dipper might have gained that trait from his mother."

I blinked for a moment and my jaw hung slack, "There's a portal in the basement?"

Ford stood up and walked over to us, picking up the glass of Mabel Juice to study closely, "What's in this?"

I blanched, "Nightmares and death."

Mabel shot me a skink eye, "Glitter, dogs milk, and dinosaur doll parts. Oh, and ice cubes!"

Ford shuddered and held the glass at arms length, "Eugh, I will be taking this down to my lab… I don't suggest drinking this anymore, it doesn't seem safe." Mabel looked extremely saddened, but inside my heart was jumping for joy.

I looked out the window at the setting sun, "Where's Will going to stay for the night?"

Mabel raised her hand and jumped ecstatically, "Ooh! Ooh! I know! I know! He can sleep in our room!" Will looked a little green for a moment but was unable to say anything as Mabel tore up the hall and stairs with him in tow.

I turned to Ford, "Uh, do you think that's a good idea?"

Ford sighed, "I'm not sure. I hope Will doesn't have a problem, but if there is I suppose he could stay in the lab along with me."

I shrugged, looked down at Dipper, and picked him up, "Alright. I'm going to take Dipper upstairs and go to bed, cya Ford."

As I started up the stairs, Ford called out to me, "Arylia! Wait." I turned back to the man, "If you have the time, come down to my lab. I would like to try something with your assistance."

I cocked an eyebrow at Ford, "Sheesh, that doesn't sound creepy at all. I'll be down." I giggled as Ford sputtered downstairs. _Yeesh, this guy is heavier than he looks._ I thought as I made it to the twins' door.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I walked out of the elevator and into Ford's lab where an army cot and the thought machine were set up.

"Whoah, what's goin' on here?" I asked as Ford whipped around, trench coat swirling with him.

"Ah, Arylia, there you are. I'm glad you asked: this is a Dream Watching Station, I was hoping that, with your permission of course, I could hook you up to the machine and find out if you truly can dreamwalk. So what do you say?" Ford gestured at the cot with his hands and smiled hopefully.

I sighed, "Alright, fine. So what do I do?"

Ford motioned to the cot and I sat down on it, "Just lay there and place the machine helmet on your head, then I'll take care of the rest. Just try to relax and sleep." I yawned, "That's shouldn't be too hard."

I nodded and took the colander hat, putting it on my head, "So, I just lay down?"

Ford nodded, "Yes, now try to sleep." I shrugged and laid down on the bed, barely hitting the pillow before everything went dark.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _I was in the bright glen from my dream last night, except this time it was already sepia._

 _I whipped around to see Tad sipping a cup of tea, "Hey."_

 _Tad stopped drinking and glowed with joy, "Hello my dear, I trust that Will is safe, yes?"_

 _I smiled at his british accent, "Yeah… wait, how'd you know about that?"_

 _Tad laughed, "Oh, child, Will happens to be quite a good friend of mine. We grew up together in the same city for a few centuries before that dimension was burned. Now, enough about that, the past is past and we have quite a bit of work to do if you plan on *ahem* eliminating Pyronica."_

 _I furrowed my brow, "What do you mean?" Tad whistled, causing the teacup to disappear and the world around us to change into a battle arena._

 _I looked around at the empty seats, "Alright, let us begin."_

 _I turned my head back to Tad, "How do we do that?"_

 _Tad whistled again, "Simple my dear, all we must do is find your trigger, then we can begin finding your abilities. Try whistling." I cocked an eyebrow but whistled a short tune, causing no effect. "Hmm, alright, how about clapping." Still nothing, "Clicking your tongue?" Nope, "Winking?" Nil, "Flicking your fingers? Blowing a raspberry? Clicking your heels?" Zip, zilch, nada._

 _Tad was getting frustrated and I was getting tired, "So what's supposed to happen?"_

 _Tad was floating around and rubbing his… face? Chin? "_ Something _should happen, such as fire appearing or something floating around."_

 _I cocked an eyebrow and snapped a finger, "Just like that?" As I finished that phrase, the seats around us burst into silvery flames. I stared at the entrancing fire, then whipped my head over to Tad who was watching in shock._

 _He cleared his throat, "Well. Alright then. I suppose that makes sense… Arylia? Who were your parents?"_

 _I looked at Tad incredulously, "Seriously? I'm not telling you that! You could kill them for all I know!"_

 _Tad just blinked, then burst out in laughter, "Oh, oh dear child, no! I wouldn't do that, even if I could, I would not want to."_

 _I flinched back in surprise, "Wait, so you can't kill them?"_

 _Tad laughed a bit more, "Oh, goodness, no. I am an emotion demon, nothing of the physical plane truly, not unless I make a bet that would affect the physical plane."_

 _I cocked an eyebrow, "So, there are different types of demons?"_

 _Tad stopped laughing and just floated for a moment, "No one has told you any of this, have they. Alright then, it is time for a great learning session!" With that, the world around us transformed into a classroom, with me being seated at a desk. "Now then, what should I teach you first?"_

 **Mabel: Help! We still can't find Arylia!"**

 ***Meanwhile***

 **Hello!? Is anyone there?**

 ***back with the muses***

 **Bill: I think she might be in the Void**

 **Dipper: What's that?**

 **Ford: The Void is a place where authors who do not achieve substantial numbers of reviews are sent. As she has only obtained two reviews for two chapters in eleven days, Arylia must have been sent there by the Fanfiction masters.**

 **Mabel: Oh no! What can we do?**

 **Ford: *shrugs* Nothing. The comets must review the story at least three times before she is released, and that must continue for the duration of the story.**

 **Dipper: Okay, comets, please review to release Arylia. Oh, and Follow and Favorite it too.**

 **Mabel: Don't forget to vote on the theme for the da-**

 **Dipper: *shoves hand over Mabel's mouth* Don't tell them what it is! But seriously, vote on it in the poll on Arylia's profile.**

 **Bill: Hey! I got a signal! C'mon!**

 **Mabel: WHOOPEE! Alrighty, ciao for now comets!**


	12. Ouch! Where'd This Come From?

***portal closing sounds* Whoah, okay… this is new.**

 **All muses: ARYLIA! *glomps author***

 **Hey hey hey! What's going on here?**

 **Mabel: You disappeared before Thanksgiving and we spent the holiday looking for you, that's what!**

 **Bill: I didn't even get to have a slice of Turkey**

 **I'm sorry guys, but when the Fanfiction Masters say you have to go into The Void, you have to go**

 **Dipper: Well you're here at least, that's something. And a good thing too, you've gotten three more reviews since the last chapter's release**

 ***sigh* okay, fine… alright, here we go again. *sticks arm out***

 **On my oun again. I MISS YOU ARY! I'm spam the reviews now! Te he he he. Good job getting this out befor Thanksgiving! You did amaizing. Oh! I forgot! I WILL (pun intended) let you off the hook on the 7 chapters thing. So! 5 more! 5 more! :D Fangirling right here. My heart is screaming. WRITE MORE SOON! - your sorry sister, Star Windbreaker**

 **Hi sis! Alright, first off, please use spell check because your writing is atrocious. Second off, please don't spam the reviews, I don't need a bunch of random reviews written by you in my inbox. Third off, that pun is terrible… even Sans the skeleton agrees! Fourth off, you aren't in charge of how many chapters I write, I will write however many I want to… I'm planning on making this about 40, maybe 50 chapters long? Don't hold me to that though, I might be annoying and make it longer or shorter. On to the next review!**

 **Nina Everblade: Seriously what do you guys have agenst broccoli it tastes awesome**

 **Okay, I have nothing against broccoli** _ **WHEN IT IS BOILED**_ **, otherwise its pretty gross. Second off, I wasn't the one who dared Bill to eat broccoli, that was my sis and one of my comets.** _ **FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO READ THE A/N STUFF, I WILL ALWAYS ACCEPT DARES!**_ **Onwards!**

 **Nina Everblade (Part Deux): Wow I started to read this yesterday thinking that it would be like every other Bill, OC shipping but this is different and that is AWESOME**

 **Oh my gosh, thank you! It warms my heart when I go above people's expectations and blow their minds! I hope that you will continue to review and read this story as it is written, because that will make me so happy!**

 **Anonymous. MISTER Anonymous: Noooooooo! Not the void!**

 **We will get you out, Ms Scry.**

 **Your chapters are incredible your characters are loveable your plot twists are unpredictable (and so are your update dates) your plot itself is fantastic and I want to know what causes everybody to be so non-observant. It's the jewellery isn't it?**

 **It is.**

 **Till next time!**

 **Whoah ho ho! This guy is a major reader! Thank you so much for the review, its great when you comets tell me what you like about the story. Although, I'm not so sure how I feel about the update date comment, its true but it still stings. By non-observant, do you mean the fact that they don't realize certain things? It is** _ **partially**_ **the jewellery, but I also feel that everyone in Gravity Falls oblivious to some degree. Think about it, no one realized that Dipper was actually Bill in** _ **Sock Opera**_ **, and Bill hasn't** _ **truly**_ **made an appearance yet, only in little bits near the beginning (I might do a rewrite of certain points because I feel that they should be better than they are right now).**

 **Bill: Hey Arylia, isn't that the 30th review?**

 **Huh? *checks website stats* Oh my gosh it IS! *blows party horn* WHOOPIE! It's only been two chapters and already there were 10 reviews! WHOAH! Alright, what to do for the special chapter?**

 **Mabel: You could have an open darathon for Bill**

 **Bill: NO!**

 **Oh yeah! But I'll do that next chapter depending on how many dares I am sent. For this chapter, I'll throw you comets a bone and teach you a bit more about the crazy world that my OC is living in!**

 _I sat in the chair, fist pressed to my cheek as Tad began writing on a chalkboard with magic, listing several names and words side by side._

" _There are several different types of demons, each with their own unique set of abilities and weaknesses. Not all demons are former angels, most are only mortals of species that have experienced something that gives them powers. They are only called demons because humans do not understand us and therefore are afraid, thus branding us with that name. In all honesty, verum demons are much more dangerous to be around and would make falsus demons seem like angels. To separate the actual demons from those who have gained powers, the demon race uses terms such as verum and falsus to classify ourselves. Yes Arylia?"_

 _I lowered my raised hand, "So, what kind are you?"_

 _Tad bobbed in a nod, "I am part of the falsus demons, or daemons as we prefer to be called. Specifically, I am an emotion demon, a being who senses and controls the emotions of others. For example, if you were feeling sad or upset I could fill you with excitement or joy. The only weakness my kind possesses is being very unstable around those who have strong emotions. You my dear are either a dream daemon or a soul daemon, those are the only two remotely compatible with angels."_

 _I blinked, "Wait, what?"_

 _Tad paused the piece of chalk right above the board, "Oh please tell me someone at least partially explained the situation."_

 _I cocked and eyebrow, "What do_ you _think?"_

 _Tad face palmed, "I should have known they would be too stubborn. Alright my dear, what species do you think you are?"_

 _I bit my lip, "Uh, a human?"_

 _Tad shook himself in a negative manner, "Only one percent, the rest of you is a hodgepodge of different species barely capable of maintaining a single form."_

 _I sighed and slid down in my chair, "Okay, what? If I'm not human, what am I?"_

 _Tad shrugged and placed his hands on the handle of his umbrella, "My dear child, you are something that should not exist. I really would have expected Stanford to have realized this by now, but I suppose he has quite a lot to handle as of now. Unfortunately, all I am allowed to disclose is that you are part daemon; Axolotl has forbidden me to speak of this further than your daemonic heritage._

 _I clicked my fingernails on the desktop, "So, I'm a demon."_

 _Tad shook again, "Daemon, and only partially. Now, Pyronica is an ignis daemon, a being of pure flame. Originally she came from the planet Argonis, a world completely comprised of peat and vegetation. After a handful of incidents in creating a fuel source for her planet, her father accidentally introduced her to the first flame on that planet. She absorbed the fire and became what she is now, burning her planet to a crisp in the process. Don't ever mention that because it still causes her pain, even if she pretends not to have emotions anymore."_

 _I raised my hand again, "So, what are her weaknesses?"_

 _Tad chuckled, "Water, wind, and snow, what else? However, because her soul is being held within her_ familiar _, it is likely that these things will only affect her to the slightest degree."_

 _I sighed and banged my head on the desk, "Ugh, how do I get rid of her then?"_

 _Tad shrugged, "I don't know, you're the one doing it. I'm just teaching you to use your abilities."_

 _I laid my face on my hand, "No you aren't, you're teaching me about demons and their weaknesses… aren't you going to get in trouble with the king demon or something?"_

 _He facepalmed, "Daemons: Verum demons_ have _no weaknesses. And no, there is no king of daemons… I suppose Axolotl could count, but he remains out of our path most of the time. Now… you need to wake up, it is almost morning."_

 _I cocked an eyebrow, "Seriously, we've only just started!"_

 _Tad shook again, "No. Have you ever noticed how time in a dream passes faster than it does in reality?" I nodded, "Well, the same is true for when a person is visited by a daemon, except in reverse. A minute in our time equates to fifteen in reality, quite annoying really, but it can't be helped. Now off with you, and only practice your trigger in the waking world if you are alone." As he finished, the world gave a strange lurch and I was transported to another dream._

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

 _All around me the world fell and the sky swirled like a bucket of mixed paints, several buildings were walking around while Wendy who was wearing a turquoise dress with a long slit on the side, Soos, Ford, Stan, Mabel who was wearing a strange hot pink dress with lots of feathers, and Dipper who was wearing a vibrant blue tux ran to avoid being squished. A maniacal laugh filled the air as I turned around to find one large eye with a vertical slit for a pupil staring at me and peering into my mind. The bracelet on my wrist froze me to the core for a moment, around my neck something seemed to calm my shattered nerves, when I looked down I was able to recognize it as the amulet that Birch gave me, some item on my forehead seemed to lull me to a sleeping state, and an object on my left ring finger seemed to flow with darkness and pain but at the same time fill me with power unimaginable._

 _I turned and ran through town to find destruction everywhere I went and people screaming in agony around me as I darted my eyes around. As I passed a shop with a window still intact I froze in alarm, then went back in horror as I looked at my reflection. In the window I saw myself wearing a long dress that I couldn't quite see clearly but somehow knew was a vivid gold, the bracelet and amulet that Birch had given me as well as a circlet on my head that had diamonds and topaz embedded in it's golden hold. That wasn't what scared me so bad, what had caught me in the thralls of terror was the color of my eyes: no longer the vibrant violet color that I had always lived with, but a glowing gold that held no warmth, only a crazed gleam that reminded me of Birch for some reason. As I stared at the image, the eye I had seen earlier came up behind me and I screamed._

 _I closed my eyes, waiting to wake up as I had in the dreams previous, but nothing happened. I peeked out of one to see myself in a large antechamber where the Pines family, Wendy, Soos, Robbie, Mcgucket, a blonde chick with a fuzzy sweater, a brunette teen with a black jacket covered in roses, a blonde girl with hot pink highlights in her hair, and a short dude with white poofy hair were standing in a large circle with symbols below them. I tried to run to them, but my feet were stuck in place and I couldn't feel my legs. A shrill laugh emanated from behind me and I went stiff as a board. When I turned my head, the triangle from before was sitting on a throne made of statues of the people in Gravity Falls. I felt my eyes widen in terror right before I screamed._

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I sat up in a rush, heart pounding and blood rushing to my head. I groaned in dizziness and pain as I saw bruises on my legs. Slowly sliding off the army cot, I walked around a bit, shaking out the pins and needles from my limbs. I looked around to find no one in the room, a bit surprising since Ford told me he would watch the screen for anything strange. I cringed as I realized that Ford would have seen me speaking with Tad, but relaxed as I noticed a small piece of paper on one of the screens. I pulled the colander helmet off my head, set it down gently, and walked over to the paper, picking it up to read:

 _Arylia_

 _I stayed awake all night and didn't_

 _see anything unusual in your dreams_

 _you apparently dream of calm meadows._

 _I'm not sure if you just aren't close_

 _enough to someone sleeping or if you_

 _aren't capable of dreamwalking. I have_

 _gone upstairs with the kids, Soos, and Stan_

 _so please don't be worried about being_

 _alone down here when you wake up._

 _I set the machine to recording mode and_

 _locked the lever in place with one of Mabel's_

 _scrunches, so you should be able to view_

 _the dreams you had again, if you dreamt_

 _of anything besides meadows anyway._

 _Just press the blue button to go to the_

 _beginning of the recording, press the green_

 _to skip forward, the red to stop, the_

 _black to play, and the brown to go back._

When I finished reading, I shrugged and pressed the blue button. Sure enough, on all the screens were a calming image of a green meadow and beautiful white poppies sprinkling the ground everywhere, similar to the glen in the woods near my old home. I shook my head, dislodging the memory and pressed the green button. For what seemed like an eternity I watched the grass ripple in a breeze and the flowers sway back and forth, but it eventually came to a halt when everything washed golden for a moment. My eyes widened and I pushed the black button just in time to see the images from my repetitive dream. As the scenes flashed before my eyes my breath hitched and I moved backwards without even noticing. I hit the elevator grate and whipped around, sliding it back and pushing the button to take me upstairs. As the elevator began its sliding, the maniacal laughter from the dream played, sending chills up my spine and a shot of adrenaline throughout my body. When the elevator stopped at the entrance to the Mystery Shack, the whole family plus Soos and Will were already waiting.

Ford stepped forward, "What on earth were you doing down there?"

I stepped out of the elevator and crossed my arms, "I was rewatching my dream."

Mabel stared at me in surprise, "There's a dream watching machine down there?"

Dipper nodded at his twin, "Yeah, but why were you hooked up to it?"

I looked over at him, tossing my head to move the bangs from my eyes, "Ford wanted to see if I could dreamwalk. I guess he didn't stay long enough to catch the last bit."

Ford narrowed his eyes, "What 'last bit'?"

I waved my hand at the elevator, "Go down and see for yourself." Ford gave me a hard look but entered the elevator anyways, accompanied by a bouncing Mabel who had sparkly, pink liquid by the corners of her mouth; I shuddered, having a pretty good idea what it was.

Soos whistled, "Whoah dude, you've been here for what? Less than a week and already you're freaking other Mr. Pines out."

I shrugged, "It's an unfortunate gift. So you've met Will?"

Soos nodded and smiled his gopher smile, "Yeah, this dude's cool I had no idea anyone could make pancakes better than my Abuela… don't tell her I said that." I zipped my lips and flicked away the slider, causing Dipper to blink rapidly and rub his eyes a few times.

I cocked an eyebrow, "Dude, what's wrong with your eyes?" Dipper shook his head and muttered something, "I didn't quite catch that."

"I said nothing."

I held my hands up in defense, "Okay, yeesh, touchy subject."

Stan grabbed Dipper's head and began a noogie, "This kid's gonna need glasses, just like his grunkles!"

I smiled as Dipper struggled out of Stan's grip, "Hey! Not cool."

I was about to say something when a scream came from the basement, my scream, "Well, I guess they're at _that_ part."

Will looked at me like I was nuts, " _What_ part?"

I shrugged and stepped aside to reveal the elevator shaft, "You are certainly welcome to go down and see, but I'm not watching that any more than I have to."

Stan and Soos looked at each other, "We're, ah, just gonna go down to make sure Stanford and Mabel are okay."

Soos nodded, "Yeah dudes, see ya." With that, the gopher-man and the stingy grunkle pressed the keys and entered the elevator.

I looked back at the two boys and shrugged, "Are you two going down?"

Dipper shook his head, "Nope, Wendy called to tell us that her friend was coming by early today so she could start with the dance. I'm not exactly sure when, but Will wanted to meet her so we're going to wait outside for her."

I looked at Will, "Are you sure?"

Will nodded hesitantly, "Yeah, I'd like to get to know this dimension's Mason."

I whipped my head to Dipper, "Mason?"

Dipper's eyes widened and he turned to Will, "How'd you know my name?"

Will shrank back, "Th-that's m-my d-dim-m-m-mension's y-you…"

I walked over to Dipper, "You're scaring him! Cut that out!"

Dipper looked down at his shoes and mumbled, "Sorry."

I sighed, "Let's go outside, she might show up at any time and I'd rather not lose our only chance to not humiliate ourselves in front of the entire school at the talent show in two weeks. I'm gonna go change into some better dancing clothes."

Dipper nodded and left, followed by Will, but he stopped at the entrance to the stairwell. "Oh hey, Wendy said that her friend was a little, uh, strange, so be prepared for anything." I just laughed; I mean seriously, how strange could she be in a town full of _familiars_ , daemons, and strange animals that should only be found in storybooks?

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

It was like looking at a diva angel. Her shimmery chestnut hair fell in waves from her half-ponytail, held by a red rose hair clip, crystal blue eyes piercing my very soul. Her red shirt was embroidered with black roses and her black sports jacket flashed with ruby roses along the back, twisting and winding in a massive celtic knot.

She smiled at me, pearly whites flashing in the sunlight, "Hey! Wendy said you guys needed some help with choreographing a dance?"

I nodded, "We suck."

Dipper flashed me an irritated glare, "Hey! Speak for yourself."

I rolled my eyes but held out my hand, "I'm Arylia, and this guy's Dipper."

She took my hand, "Paris. So what are you doing this for?"

I chuckled, "Talent show. HIs Mabel wanted at least one of us to be in the show, so Dipper volunteered to be my dance partner. Unfortunately, we suck at coming up with our own dances."

Paris laughed, "Okay, that's a lie right there. No one really sucks at dancing, they just aren't comfortable yet or don't know the dance well enough yet. Have you guys picked a song yet?"

Dipper looked uncomfortable, so I answered for him, "Yeah, _My Demons_ by _Starset_. Heard of it?"

Paris squealed, "HECK yes, I _love_ that song! Sooooo, do you guys prefer a certain dance style or free?" I shrugged, but Dipper took that as an opportunity to demonstrate his skills. When he finally finished his twisting and winding, Paris spoke up again. "Okay then… lucky for you, this is one of my favorite songs and I did a dance with my ex to this when we were younger. We can start now, or tomorrow, whenever is fine with me."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Seriously? What are you getting out of it?"

Paris laughed, "Okay, fair enough. I'm paying off a favor that I owe someone from a bet we made a while back, also I just like teaching people to dance. So, now or later?"

Dipper shrugged, "Now I guess, Grunkle Stan is going to have us jumping through hoops tomorrow since its Labor Day and tons of people are gonna be out."

Paris clapped her hands in excitement, "Great! Now the first thing we're gonna do is…"

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

I lay sprawled on the grass, sweat coming out of my pores in waterfalls and pain shuddering through my exhausted muscles. My exercise tank had slid up at some point during the dance and my hair was stuck to my exposed lower back in clumps. My breath came out in loud pants and I had to close my eyes for a moment.

"Wendy wasn't kidding when she said that you were intense!" Dipper cried as Paris ran the ending with him again.

Paris laughed, "This isn't _anything_ compared to my routine for State competition, you guys just aren't very fit yet. I mean, you have noodles for arms Dipper!"

Dipper blushed madly, "I know, don't remind me. What about Arylia, she's just as bad!"

I pointed at them from the ground, "I resent that!"

Paris laughed, "You are, you have almost _no_ core strength!"

I pushed myself up onto my elbows, "Excuse me! I resent that comment just as much!"

Paris rolled her eyes as Dipper failed to lift her into the air, "Well, you at least make up for that with being so light, that should make it easier to dance with noodle boy over here."

Dipper flashed bright red, "Hey!"

I chuckled as Will fell down next to me, "Done spinning?" After Will getting in the way of one of her pirouettes and interrupting her demo of the dance, Paris bet that he couldn't spin one-hundred times in a pirouette without throwing up, so Will had been spinning on the grass for the past thirty minutes.

Will stuck up a thumbs up, "Urgh, fleshbags aren't made for this."

I rolled my eyes, "Well get used to it, cause if you don't stay in that 'fleshbag', he's not going to be around anymore. You better treat that body right, or it won't work for either of you."

I stretched and pulled my damp shirt down, "Okay, is it just me or is it unusually hot for fall?"

Paris shrugged, "It's always hot here, I _did_ suggest that we go inside."

Dipper rolled his eyes, "Great uncle Ford and Grunkle Stan are probably arguing in the basement and trust me, you don't want to be around for that… I feel like I'm forgetting something."

I pointed a finger gun at him, "Mabel went down there after drinking Mabel Juice." Dipper's eyes widened and he took off towards the shack, leaving us staring after him.

After a moment, Paris laughed, "I love seeing people freak out for their sibling's safety."

I chuckled, "Oh no, Dipper's not worried for Mabel."

Paris cocked an eyebrow, "Then who's he worried about?"

I smiled softly, "His grunkles."

Paris shook her head and held out a hand to me, "Since he's not here to practice, you and I can run through your parts again."

I fell back onto the grass with a groan, "C'mon, I just ran them a minute ago!"

Paris looked at me sternly, "Do you want to do well or not?" I groaned but pushed myself up and went back to work.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

It was almost sunset and after spending the entire day working on the dance I was a complete mess: pine needles and stray leaves were in my hair, my clothes had grass stuck to them, my face was bright red, and my breath was coming in labored gasps.

I was lying on the ground yet again when Dipper stopped in front of Paris and me, "Um, is she okay?"

I nodded from the ground, "We just *wheeze* ran through *wheeze* the dance *wheeze* a couple of times *gasp*."

Paris face palmed and her sparkling red nails caught the sunlight, "This girl has absolutely _no_ energy, maybe she needs a coffee or something." Dipper held out a hand and I took it, slipping a bit on the grass and pulling us both down, him on top of me. We stayed that way for a bit, me staring into his mocha-brown eyes and him staring back into mine until Paris cleared her throat. Dipper flushed bright red and shot up immediately while I stayed on the ground for a bit. He held out a hand again, I winced as pain spiked up through my side.

Dipper furrowed his brow in worry, "Are you okay." I shook my head, gritting my teeth to avoid screaming and not noticing the blood seeping through my shirt.

Paris squealed, "Arylia! What did you _hit?!_ "

I looked down at my side, "EEP!" Dipper looked at the hole and blood on shirt and helped me sit down. I pulled my shirt up to reveal a small but deep puncture wound while Dipper ran inside to grab bandages, "Well, this should be fun." I laid on my side, off the ground but close to allow the blood to fall onto the grass instead of my skin.

Paris scolded me, "You shouldn't move! What if you make it worse?"

I shook my head, "I don't want my blood burning through my skin." Paris looked at me like I was nuts, "Look at the grass." I pointed at the ground which was quickly becoming spotted and brown as the black part of my blood spread. I dabbed my finger on a drop of white blood onto the wound and let out a sigh of relief as the pain slowly faded. Paris watched in fascination the whole time and only broke out of her trance when Dipper showed back up.

"I've got bandages and antiseptic. Arylia, this is gonna sting." I nodded and gasped as what felt like thousands of tiny daggers pierced my skin around the wound. I gritted my teeth in pain while Dipper wiped at the wound with a small piece of cotton with liquid on it and bound my side with the wrap.

I stood up, "What'd I fall on?"

Dipper walked over to a small brown patch where there was black spots dotting the grass, "It was over here right?" I nodded and went over, and, upon noticing a glint in the grass, stooped down to investigate. What I found shook me to the very core.

I jumped away, "EeeYAHGH!" Dipper looked up at me like I was crazy and picked up what I was so afraid of.

"A ring?" Paris asked, walking over to us.

Dipper nodded, "Yeah, it's really nice too. I bet Grunkle Stan could probably sell it for a lot."

I shook my head, "You're gonna wanna burn that thing, Birch and I found it in the clearing a few nights ago. I told him to put it back, but it appeared at school, so I put it back after we woke up. The fact that it's been following me around is making me nervous."

Paris looked a little unsure but Dipper nodded in understanding, "Yeah, Great Uncle Ford is gonna have a field day with this. Speaking of him, we should head inside, it'll be dark soon and Mabel's going nuts with the art craft she's calling dinner." With that, Dipper headed into the shack for the third time.

I cringed, "Yeah… that's not gonna be good. So Paris, when's the next practice?"

Paris pointed at my side, "Um, there's no way you're dancing with an injury like _that_. You're gonna have to take it easy, unless you want to possibly make it worse than it already is. I'll come back on Friday, I don't have work then."

I sighed, "Fine, but if Mabel gets upset, _you're_ going to deal with it."

Paris laughed, "I think I'll be fine." I shrugged and was about to follow Dipper inside when she grabbed my arm, "Don't put on anything else, he is always watching, even through the one you will come to trust most." I stared at her, words sinking into my mind as I fully comprehended what she was saying. Suddenly Paris let go, "I'll see you around!" With a wave, she walked back into the forest. I watched her leave, a feeling of discomfort crawling up my spine and a chill raising the hair on my neck. I shuddered and headed into the shack, unable to shake the feeling of being watched.

 **Aaaaaaaaaand there you have it comets! Something's stirring, and the volcano is getting ready to burst!**

 **Bill: No it's not!**

 **Oh yeah? Why?**

 **Bill: Because** _ **we're**_ **the muses, we decide when things happen and when things won't.**

 **Mabel: YEAH! *sips from cup***

… **. ' … Uh, Mabel?**

 **Mabel: Yes?**

 **Is that, um, Mabel Juice?**

 **Mabel: *cheshire grin* Yeees**

 **...Run!**

 **All muses and author: *exit room***

 **Dipper: *pauses at doorframe* Don't forget to vote on the theme at Arylia's website and to FFR! (FollowFavoriteReview)**

 **Mabel: MUAHAHAHA!**

 **Dipper: *screams like a little girl***


	13. DARATHON!

The scene is set: a gigantic stage in the middle of Central Park lies underneath a full sky of stars, thousands of people sit along the benches and stand near the stage, and spotlights swirl on the stage floor. A long-haired, dirty blonde wearing a long, mullet-style, black dress with gold and silver designs along the train rises on a platform from below the stage as the nightcore version of _Hall of Fame_ plays in the background. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Comets of all ages! I present to you, for the first time ever, the reviewannual DARATHON!" The audience bursts into screams and applause as she walks forward, black and gold train shimmering in the bright stage lights. "I'm sure you're all wondering why we're doing this in a calm and relaxed manner instead of the Darathon occurring during a Mabelpocalypse. Well, the simple answer is this. I made a bet with Tad Strange." Everyone in the audience gasps and begins to murmur at this revelation, "I know, that was probably a dumb idea, but I had no choice! So many people sent in their dares for Bill, and other characters. I'm sure you're all wondering what the bet was, so I'll let Tad take it away. Tad?"

A man with dark periwinkle hair in a black vest, white dress shirt, and a bowler cap walks forward, stopping by the blonde to lean on his umbrella. "Thank you Ary. Now comets, our bet was that if this Darathon could reach over 100 views in one week, I would reveal a secret about Arylia that even the author doesn't know."

Ary cocks her head, "Say what now? How could you do that?"

Tad smiles, "Because I have that kind of power."

The blonde ponders that for a moment before nodding, "Fair enough."

Tad chuckles, "If it doesn't, Arylia must kill off at least one character before the end of the story."

The crowd gasps and the blonde clasps her hands pleadingly, "Please my comets, you don't want to read that and I don't want to write that. So please, _tell others about this story and make them read it!_ "

The man clasps his hands in excitement, "Now on with the dares, my dear friend Cipher must answer for his crimes and do whatever it is the comets desire." With that statement, the entire audience burst into cheers and applause.

The blonde grins a cheshire grin, "Alright, here's the first one!" As she said this, a giant TV screen is revealed from behind a curtain and a girl wearing a wendy cosplay costume appears. "This is Nina EverBlade, one of my most devoted comets, so be prepared for excitement!"

The girl smiles, "DARATHON DARATHON DARATHON (everyone cheers in background) … For my first dare I dare Bill to drink five cups of Mabel juice. (Mhahah)"

The blonde stared at the screen for a moment before turning to the audience with a look of shock and horror on her face, "No, no, no! We can't! We just _can't_!"

Tad places his hand on her shoulder, "You must."

The blonde shakes her head vigorously, "I can't do that to people, I _won't!"_

Tad crosses his arms, "Ary, you _must_ , or you will lose the bet. Do you _really_ want to do that to your precious comets?"

The blonde sighs, "Fine, but the results are on _you_ Tad, not me. Ladies and Gentlecomets! Please welcome our first contestant, BILL CIPHER!" Suddenly, the muse Bill Cipher is raised on a platform onto the stage next to the pair.

Bill looks around, "Huh? What am I doing here?"

The blonde smiles at Bill, "You're here because I wrote you in and because people want to force you to do things, like drinking this!" With that, a platform raises from below the stage with a table holding five sparkly, pink glasses of Mabel Juice and Mabel next to it.

Mabel squeals and runs up to Ary and Tad, glomping them both, "I made an _extra_ special batch of Mabel Juice for Bill, _hee hee_ , this is gonna be good!"

The blonde looks at Tad, who is looking back in worry, "What is in this… _drink_ exactly?"

Mabel smiles, "I'm glad you asked! I put glitter, fruit punch, dog milk, goat milk, dinosaur parts _aaaand_ doll parts, and my secret ingredient." She leans in for this last bit and makes dolphin lips, whispering the words that sent chills of fear through the entire audience, " _Smile Dip!_ "

The blonde's eyes widen, "Uh, Mabel, maybe he shouldn't-"

But it was too late, Mabel had already brought Bill to the table and is handing him one of the glasses, " _Bon Appetite!_ "

Bill shrugs and lifts the glass to his lips while Ary rushes to him, "No Bill, don't-" As he swallows the first sip, the world begins to glow a rainbow of colors and objects rise from the ground.

Bill smiles, " _ **S0 mUch P0w3R!**_ "

Ary and Tad look at the sight in horror, "What have we done." Bill laughs and chugs the rest of the Mabel Juice, not spilling a single drop, and his body glows a bright gold. He floats into the air, levitating the other glasses with him and drinking them one after another, each one causing his body to glow brighter.

As he brings the final glass to his lips, Tad runs up below him, "Cipher! Do _not_ drink that! You will regret the consequences!"

Bill looks down at Tad, " _ **H4h! y0U"R3 ju5T j3l0U5! 1 c0Uld T4k3 0n 4x0l0tl R1ghT n0w!"**_ With that statement, the dream demon drinks the last glass, draining it to the last drop. Suddenly, the glow around Bill flashes brighter than ever before, blinding everyone in the audience. When the glow finally dies down, a small snowglobe-like item is lying on the ground where Bill was hovering over moments ago.

The blonde slowly walks over to the object and pokes it, "Um, where's Bill?" Suddenly, a small demon-form Bill bangs against the glass.

" _Hey! Let me out_!" He squeaks out in a higher pitched voice than before.

Tad walks over, chuckling as he lowers objects from the air back into their proper places, "I did warn you Cipher, because you had too much power in a single form, your body couldn't handle it and the magic created a safe bubble that cannot be broken until your power had gone back to normal."

The small dorito chip crosses his arms, " _And when will that be_?"

Tad whistles and a small pocket watch appears on a chain connected to his vest, "With the amount of Mabel Juice you consumed, you should go back to normal within a few days."

Ary picks up the container, "Well, it's a good thing we did everything else before this. This is still on you Tad."

Tad holds out his hands defensively, "No it's not, it's on Nina EverBlade. Let's move on now, you have one hundred views to get to, yes?"

Ary rolls her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Alright, now that we have the scary Mabel Juice out of the way, let's get to Anonymous. MISTER Anonymous!" A suit with nothing in it appears on the screen.

"I want Bill in a meeting. A board meeting, a school cabinet meeting, an MUM, whatever. Just not one of those namby-pamby meetings where everybody is "polite" and "productive" and things get done. I mean a meeting where the only reason people aren't throwing chairs at each other is because they are bolted to the ground. Yeah. THAT type of meeting. Put Bill in the middle of one. That'll be fun.

Till next time!"

Ary smiles as the screen goes dark, "Well, don't worry Anonymous, we have a very entertaining video from when Bill was still evil. Apparently, he was out of ideas for taking over our dimension, so he held a board meeting with his henchmaniacs to figure it out. Please turn your attention back to the screen." With that a video begins to play.

~ _HERE_ _**WE**_ _**GO**_ ~

 _A large table in the shape of a triangle is in the center of the room, surrounded by various sizes and types of chairs. Along the three black walls are tapestries and paintings of Bill Cipher in his demon form. With a flash of smoke, several strange beings appeared in the room, sitting down at the chairs about their size, almost as if they had done it before. After a while, one of the creatures, the rhombus shaped one with a single eye near its top point, spoke._

" _When's the boss going to get here?"_

 _Another being, this time the only obvious female, responded, "He'll arrive when he wants to, and I personally doubt that he will come at_ your _whims."_

 _Before anyone else could say anything, a blue vortex of flames erupted at the head of the table and a golden triangle appeared._

" _Hey guys! Didja miss me? Admit it, you missed me." All the creatures around the table groaned except for the pink female._

" _Of course I did_ meus rex." _She said as she lowered her head in submission._

 _The triangle laughed, "Of course you did Pyronica, you always miss me."_

 _The creature that looked like a blokus piece spoke up, "Hey Bill! Why did you call us here? Have you finally decided to step down to let one of us have a shot at being king?" Everyone at the table cringed as they awaited Bill's response._

 _The triangle just stared at the creature for a moment, "I can't tell if you're actually serious about that or if you're just trying to get barbecued." The blokus beast shrank back, but Bill had already moved on, "I called you here because this dimension's already been conquered and I've set my sights on the third dimension. Now I just have to find a way to get there."_

 _The gray mass of clay-looking creature with a pacifier in its stomach grumbled, "Is the human you have spoken of not cooperating?"_

 _Bill's eye flashed black with a white pupil, "He finally got smart and messed up the portal. Now does anyone have any ideas?"_

 _The blokus creature raised his hand, "What if we used you used your familiar?"_

 _Bill eye-palmed and snapped his fingers, causing the monster to fly against the wall with glowing blue chains holding him in place, "We aren't going to use him, he doesn't even know he's a familiar yet! Does anyone have any_ good _ideas."_

 _The gray, bull-like creature rolled his beady red eyes, "Who care's about that dimension, we could have_ any _other."_

 _The rhombus rolled its eye, "Uh, cause its 3-D, and its the only one that's 3-D unless you go to a different reality."_

 _The gray monster stood up and leaned against the table, "I don't care about being three-dimensional, Kryptos_ , _because I'm not a stuck up, vain, girl's jewel!"_

 _Kryptos gasped and stood up as well, "You take that back!"_

 _The gray monster laughed, "Make me!"_

 _Kryptos growled, "Well at least_ I _don't need a baby toy."_

 _The thing that looked like a set of dentures jumped between the two, "You guys need to calm down, or we're not going to get_ any _dimensions conquered!"_

 _Both monsters yelled at him, "Shut up Teeth!"_

 _The girl stood up and put her hand on her hip, "Well you shouldn't be like that, Teeth's just doing his job and keeping us on track."_

 _The green, goblin-like creature rolled his 8-ball eyes, "You would know_ all _about doing your job,_ servus regina diligunt _!" The fiery lady hissed in fury and jumped onto him, slashing at his face and stomach._

 _The bull bared his black-blood covered teeth, "Your turn!" With that, he pulled at his chair, trying desperately to fling it at the rhombus, but unable to even lift it an inch due to the magical bolts holding it down. Finally giving up, he jumped up and attacked Kryptos, while the other creatures clawed at each other. This whole time, Bill became increasingly irritated and infuriated. Finally, when the noise in that room reached a pinnacle, he snapped his fingers and blue chains grabbed at everyone's wrists and ankles, pulling them back until they hit the wall._

 _Bill's body went from normal to furious red, black, and white, "_ _ **SERIOUSLY?!**_ **NONE** _**OF YOU HAVE**_ **ANY** _ **IDEAS?! CAN THIS GET**_ **ANY** _**WORSE?!**_ " _Suddenly, Bill's body went back to normal and began to glow in a manner familiar to him, causing him to laugh, "Hey guys, I think our luck's about to change!" With that, he disappeared in a flash of white light, leaving several confused and trapped creatures._

~ _Fin_ ~

As the screen goes dark, Ary laughs, "So that's what happened, I've always wondered what Bill was doing before he was summoned by Gideon."

Tad nods, "Yes, he was incapable of leaving the Nightmare Realm without being summoned first after Ford used a spell to seal him there. Who is next?"

Ary looks at a small piece of paper, "Some guest named MyraklNyancyWntr… Did they get that from my profile's pets? Let's go on with them!"

A girl with cropped cyan hair and a winking skeleton hairclip appears on screen, "HI HI HI! So, I know this is just supposed to be for Bill, but I wanna see Dipper do the lamby lamby dance! Please and thanks!"

Tad tries to hold in chuckles while Ary openly laughs, "HAHAHA! Okay, I know I was just planning on having this be a Bill Darathon, but you have to admit, the Lamby Lamby Dance is pretty funny. Oh, _Dipper!_ "

Dipper rises on a platform on stage right wearing a bright blue tux and looking very bewildered, "Huh? Why am I here?"

Ary twirls her hair, "Because you've been dared."

Dipper cocks an eyebrow, "But this is a _Bill_ Darathon, not a _Dipper_ Darathon."

Ary shrugs, "I've decided to make it an open Darathon. Now do the Lamby Lamby dance!"

Dipper crosses his arms, "Nope."

Ary cocks an eyebrow, "Do it."

Dipper shakes his head, "Nuh uh."

Ary gives Tad the snowglobe container and raises her hand, "You'd better!"

Dipper sticks his tongue out at Ary, "Make me!"

Ary smiles a cheshire grin, "Okay!" With that, Ary snaps her fingers and Dipper's clothes magically transform into a lamb costume. "Now do the dance, the comets want to see it!"

Dipper shakes his head, somehow managing to look tough in his lamb costume, "You can't force me to!"

Ary frowns, but then smiles as an idea dawns on her, "I'll post the pictures on social media."

Dipper stiffens, "What pictures?"

Ary waves several pictures of Dipper singing in a towel, "These pictures."

Dipper's eyes widen and he lunges, "Gimme!"

Ary dances out of reach, "Only if you do the Lamby Lamby dance!" Dipper shakes his head and rushes Ary, barely missing as she sidesteps. This goes on for a while, much to Tad's amusement and the entertainment of the audience. Finally, Ary pulls out her phone, "You'd better start! I'm getting on facebook!"

Dipper stops, "You wouldn't!"

Ary smirks and raises her finger above a button, "I would."

Dipper's eyes widen and he holds up his hands, "Okay, okay, I'll do it."

Ary lowers the phone and smiles, "Good boy. Tad? The music!"

Tad bows and presses a button on a boombox, "My pleasure."

Dipper blushes bright red and starts, "Oh, who wants a lamby, lamby, lamby, I do! I do! So go up and greet your mammy, mammy, mammy, hi there! Hi there! So go and walk around the daisies, don't forget the babies!" He finishes as he sticks his finger on his cheek. The audience bursts into applause and cheers, several members getting on their feet and jumping. Dipper stands up and stalks over to Ary, holding his hand out, "Now give it! And get me out of this thing!"

Ary smirks and snaps her fingers, "My pleasure." With that, Dipper goes back to his tux and Ary hands the pictures to him, deleting the ones on her phone. Dipper nods and runs back to his platform which is slowly lowering.

Tad is still laughing as he walks over to Ary, "That was very humorous."

Ary smiles, "If you think _that_ was funny, you're going to _love_ the next dare! This one is from my yami, my dark side, my wish-she-was-my-sister, _Myria Sirenic!_ " A girl with dirty blonde hair who looks very similar to Ary except with darker brown eyes and in a ponytail appears on the screen behind Tad and Ary.

"Hey Ary! So, since you're doing a Darathon, I was wondering if you could actually bring the OC Arylia in to meet your muse Bill Cipher. It's still technically a dare _for Bill_."

Ary squeals, "SQUEE! Oh, that _would_ be great, so I'm gonna do it!"

Tad gains a worried look, "But wouldn't that twist the time continuum into quite a mess? I would truly rather not upset Time Baby."

Ary flips her hand, "Psh, no. And if it does, you can clean it up! Now, since we were expecting something bad to happen with the Mabel Juice, I was prepared and had them meet prior to this show! Now please turn your attention to the screen." With that, the screen came to life yet again.

~ _HERE_ _**WE**_ _**GO**_ ~

 _At the bus stop in Gravity Falls, Arylia was waiting for the bus to come so she could get to the airport for the Darathon in NY. Autumn leaves fell from the sparse trees and pine needles littered the dry ground. A loud thump next to her made Arylia jump. She turned and was shocked to see a man with golden overlaid brown hair, a single cobalt blue eye visible while the other was covered by a black, triangular eye patch right next to her. Upon closer inspection, the patch had small golden brick print inlaid and his eye was more sapphire than cobalt. He wore a golden tuxedo with a brick print cape attached on the back and a small top hat slightly askew. In front of him was a long black cane atop which he laid his hands._

 _Arylia cleared her throat, "Um, yeah, hi. Would you mind moving over?"_

 _The man smiled, "Which direction?"_

 _Arylia cocked an eyebrow, "Um, further away, I'm almost off the bench as it is."_

 _The man leaned closer, "I won't let you fall."_

 _Arylia blinked as she leaned back, then pushed him away, "Dude, personal space."_

 _The man shrugged, "I'm still trying to understand the concept completely."_

 _Arylia rolled her eyes, "Dude, you should have learned that when you were younger."_

 _The man laughed, "I've never needed to respect boundaries before, when I was young there was no such thing really."_

 _Arylia cocked an eyebrow, "Um, how old are you?"_

 _The man winked, or blinked, one of the two, "About three billion years older than this dimension."_

 _Arylia's eyes widened and she stood up, "Um, yeah, okay. Bye."_

 _The man grabbed her wrist, "Hey, I'm not done yet."_

 _Arylia bared her teeth and narrowed her eyes, "Yeah you are." She snapped her fingers and she teleported a few feet away in a blaze of silver flames. But the man just smiled and snapped his own fingers, teleporting right next to her in a flash of blue fire. Arylia's eyes widened, "Who are you?"_

 _The man laughed and backed up, "I'm the muse Bill Cipher, and this was a dare. See that glowing white orb in the trees?" He pointed at the audience, "That's a camera recording this for the Darathon. Sorry if I freaked you out, but I had to give the comets a good show!" Arylia's mouth gaped for a moment before she wound up to punch Bill._

~ _Fin_ ~

The screen goes dark right before the connection and Ary cringes, "Whoah! I didn't get a chance to watch this before the show since Bill's cam-orbs got back only an hour before we went live so I'm sorry about that."

Tad laughs maniacally, "Oh, dear Ary, don't be. That was truly hilarious, although I doubt poor Arylia thought so."

Ary nods solemnly, "Yes. Alright, we also had a dare from (former)EMObillcipher89!" A screen with a silhouette appears as the two turn to face the screen.

"Yes! A darathon?! Oh hoo! Okay...Bill gets a Dare! Bill, I dare you to go as "Birch" on a roof in underwear and dance like a ballerina! Shout in the worst singing voice possible: I'M A BALLERINA! Repeatingly. Btw, this is referenced by Amazing world of Gumball! If your master disapproves, then...MORE BROCOLI! -(Former)EMObillcipher89"

Ary spins around with a pained expression, "Alright my comets, that's a very strange image. This _was_ recorded before Bill became a corn chip-"

" _Hey_!"

Ary looks down at the tiny dream demon, "I'm sorry, but you are. Now comets, this may be more interesting than the video of him eating more broccoli. Yes, we did make a backup of that in the event that this video doesn't play. I still don't understand your obsession with broccoli, is there really nothing else for him to eat?"

Tad snickers, "Apparently not, now how trigger-sensitive is this video?"

Ary shrugs, "I suppose it depends on the viewer, now let's see him dance!" Again, the screen behind the announcers lights up with a video.

~ _HERE_ _**WE**_ _**GO**_ ~

The sun rose above the horizon, painting the world in color again and waking everyone up to the sound of Candy playing her flute on her porch. Suddenly, the perfect calm of the world was shattered by someone shouting "I'M A BALLERINA!" The camera zooms to the Mystery Shack where a boy with golden hair and golden eyes is blushing on the roof, wearing only black boxers and doing a pirouette. He jumped around on the small ledge near the very top, blushing furiously and sinuous body winding to a hidden music. "I'M A BALLERINA! I'M A BALLERINA! I'M A BALLERINA!" This went on well into the afternoon, at which point Stan had made hundreds off Birch's strange antics.

~ _Fin_ ~

Everyone in the audience laughs as the screen darkens, much to Bill's chagrin.

" _Stop it! It's not funny_." No one stops laughing, except for Ary who puts her hands to her nose and rushes offstage. Bill and Tad look at each other, then Bill looks back to where Ary just exited, "."

Tad nods solemnly, "I do, but I'm not judging. And I'm not telling you either." Bill gives Tad a glare, the latter not noticing, "Since Ary may be gone for a while, I will continue this Darathon. This next dare comes from… oh no."

Bill floats around the container, trying desperately to see, " _What, what? Who sent it_?"

Tad looks at Bill in pity, "Star Windbreaker."

Bill freezes in place before all color drains from him, " _W-what_?"

Tad chuckles, "Well, it appears that you will be unable to complete this dare, since you are in your other form… we _could_ call in the real Bill Cipher."

Bill's eye widens, " _No! You know what'll happen!_ "

Tad nods, "I do, but we have no choice since you cannot ingest any more Mabel Juice in your condition."

Bill narrows his eye, " _Why does everything have to do with Mabel Juice_?"

"I am not sure, but ladies and gentlecomets, I present, _Star Windbreaker!_ " With this exclamation, a blonde chick with pink and blue highlights in her hair appears.

"Any dare you say? Hmmm... I DARE BILL TO EAT A PICKLE SOAKED IN MABEL JUICE!" Then she grins evilly, "I also dare DIPPER to SING a SPECIAL song just for YOU! FFR ARYLIA NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY! Your prodigious sister, Star Windbreaker."

Tad chuckles as he turns back to the audience, "I suppose Dipper has already completed this dare, in a way. Now, where are some candles?"

Bill taps on the glass of his container, " _What if I make a deal with someone to get rid of the Mabel Juice in my system? Then I could do the dare and we wouldn't have to summon the real Bill. I've never had a pickle before, are they good?._ "

Tad nods, "Yes they are, and that is quite a good idea, well done Cipher! Now, is Ary done with the nurse?"

A stage grip pops their head out, "Um, yeah? But the door is locked, we can't get her out."

Tad cocks an eyebrow and pushes his bowler hat back, "Well, I'll see what I can do about that. In the meantime, please watch this small clip from a future chapter, brought to you by Myria Sirenic." With that, the screen turns on again and words scroll across the screen

 _I was sitting in the kitchen/dining room, enjoying my breakfast cereal and juice (orange, not the Mabel variety), when all of a sudden, a twin tornado burst into the room._

" _Hey, Mabel, that's my foot!" I turned around to see Dipper's torso underneath Mabel's legs and Mabel's head scissored between Dipper's bag and his shoes._

" _Well its not my fault you can't get out of the way in time, so get off me!" Mabel pushed at Dipper's legs while the two tried to untangle themselves. I shook my head with a grin, those two were definitely the goofiest siblings I had ever seen. Myself and my sister included. That thought sobered me right up, and I handed the twins each some peanut butter toast and some OJ._

 _Mabel took the toast but refused the drink, "Thanks, but I only drink Mabel Juice." At the mere mention of the evil drink, the room got noticeably colder and I shuddered. Dipper looked at me quizzically while Mabel rolled him over to get off the floor. "Whoah, chilly." I closed my eyes and nodded, taking a sip of my OJ before the room warmed up again._

 _Stan's head popped in, fez and suit looking very sharp, "Hey kids," (Again with the kid! I'm not a kid, I'm a teenager! Only Tad can call me_ child _, and that's only because he sounds like a British father!) "you guys better get to school or your parents are going to kill me."_

 _I rolled my eyes but finished my breakfast, grabbed my backpack, and rushed out the door calling, "Last one there has to clean the jackalope's pen later!" When I turned around, Dipper and Mabel were right behind me, and gaining fast. I looked forward and let out a whoop for the ecstasy from the speed I was getting. We jumped over fallen branches and logs, winding around trees and rocks, and pushing ahead and falling behind eachother for the five minutes it took to run to town._

 _As we neared the edge of the forest and the border of town, I began to smell something strange, yet familiar. When I finally realized what it was, I stopped in horror and looked back at the forest, "Fire!" Behind Dipper was a blue inferno that seemed to have no end, blazing through the forest without mercy. I raced ahead, crying "Fire! Fire!" through the town before I reached the police HQ._

 _Blubbs and Durland were sitting at the desk, drinking their coffees as I ran inside, "Fire! Fire! The forest is on fire!" The pair shot up and promptly began doing spit takes in each other's faces. This went on for a while before I realized that they weren't going to stop any time soon, so I ran outside to find that the fire was now blazing into the sky in a sapphire explosion. Dipper and Mabel were staring at the fire just outside the doorway, looks of fury and shock on their faces._

The screen went dark again as Tad walks on stage, Ary right behind, "Alright comets, the deal to return Bill to his normal muse form shall now commence!"

Ary rubs the back of her head, "Sorry guys, that took longer than anticipated. I'm guessing one of the stagehands was trying to play a prank on me or the nurse, not cool. Anyways, I'm guessing that you've read the pickle dare."

Tad nods and smiles, pointing at the container, "Yes, and Cipher has come up with an ingenious plan to allow him out of the snowglobe."

Ary cocks an eyebrow, "Oh really, what is it?"

Bill taps on the glass, " _You're going to make a deal with me to get the Mabel Juice out of my system!_ "

Ary nods and rubs her chin, "Alright, but what would I get in return?"

Bill smacks his closed eye, " _Seriously? How about you get to end the show without doing any more dares?_ "

Ary shakes her head, "Sorry, but no. I know! How about you reveal to the comets what the event later on in the story will be, I don't want to, and the twins are… indisposed at the moment."

Tad cocks an eyebrow, "Doing what?" Ary giggles and whispers in Tad's ear, causing him to flush periwinkle, "You can't be serious!"

Ary nods and laughs, "I am!"

Tad shakes his head, "I honestly believe that Will and Mabel would do that, Dipper and Arylia on the other hand… but what of Birch? Wouldn't he be wanting to put a stop to their stargazing excursion"

Ary smiles a cheshire grin, "Oh, he's a bit busy at the moment with-" She whispers in Tad's ear again, "So I'm not going to bother him. Now do we have a deal Bill?" the miniaturized nacho bobs in agreement and holds out his hand, blue flames licking it. Somehow, the hand manages to phase past the glass and reaches to Ary, who stoops down and takes it with ease. As they shake, a blinding golden glow encases the two. When the light dies down, Ary and the human formed Bill are sitting on stage next to a platform with a large, green pickle.

Ary jumps up, "Well then, now that Bill's back to normal, you have to eat the pickle! And tell the audience about the event."

Bill shrugs, "Alright. Pickle first though, I've got a dare to do!" With that, the now-human picked up the veggie and shoved it in his mouth whole. As he chewed, his eyes lit up with excitement and glitter as the Mabel Juice made its way through his system. When he finally swallows, Ary and Tad have both hidden behind a special sheet of metal made for protection against magic.

Bill smiles and nods, "Not bad, a bit sour, but not bad at all."

Ary pokes her head up, "So, you're not going to burst into magical glitter or anything?"

Bill shakes his head, "Nope, and now that I've completed the dare, I'll be announcing the big event! Ahem, the big event that will be taking place some time in the future of the story is a homecoming dance!" At this revelation, the entire audience, and a few stagehands backstage, bursts into applause, cheers, hoots and hollers, and various other means of expressing excitement.

Ary smiles and takes center stage, "Yes my comets, we will be holding a big Autumn dance after the talent competition, and I need lots of ideas for the theme! I have a poll set up at my account for this, so please vote and I'll announce the theme on the competition's chapter! Now, I know that this has been a fun chapter for a lot of you, so once we reach 50 reviews I will hold another Darathon, this time for Dipper, and _only_ Dipper. I'm looking at _you_ Myria! Now I hope everyone enjoyed this thing, and I'll see you next time! Don't forget to FFR on your way out!" With that, the nightcore version of _Hall of Fame_ plays again and the stage darkens, leaving the audience the chance to leave before midnight.


	14. Stranger Things have Happened

**Hey my comets! I hope you liked the last chapter, and I'm sorry that there wasn't any activity for a while. I caught a cold, then I got slammed with class homework (finals are murder!), then I got slammed with the flu (get your shots! I didn't, probably the worst mistake I've ever made),** _ **then**_ **I lost my inspiration. Darn it muses, what are you good for?!**

 **Bill: Well we're here now aren't we!**

… **yeah, I guess… but seriously, don't do this ever again**

 **Bill: *rolls eyes*** _ **Fine**_

 **Thank you, now it's review time! *grabs list from approaching Dipper***

 **Anonymous. MISTER Anonymous:** **Oh nice!**

 **I like the idea of Stan and Soos going down there to find Ford screaming and sobbing so they look at the video and they start screaming and sobbing as well, and once they have finally calmed down *bam* Mabel!**

 **I can't wait for things to REALLY get started.**

 **Also, by no observant I mean how they seem to forget something absolutely terrifying and turn it into something not so terrifying.**

 **Alright, yeah. Honestly, the image of Ford sobbing is more than a bit unsettling… I don't even want to think about it anymore. I think that they wouldn't be** _ **sobbing**_ **and** _ **screaming**_ **, per se, but they would be freaking out a bit. And Mabel, yeah… you'll get to hear a bit more on that in this chapter. Now, what do you mean** _ **really**_ **get started? Things aren't started enough already?! … that was a joke, things haven't even** _ **started**_ **to pick up. If that's what you meant by non-observant, the reason for that is my poor writing skills(and a certain spell cast by a certain someone!) But that's all I'm gonna say on this subject.**

 **IT'S NOT ON ME SUCKERS YOU KNOW WHY!(throws down smoke bomb and disappears) CAUSE I'M NOT HERE!(evil laughing in background)Also next darathon I dare Will to confront his brother Bill.**

 _ **Hahaha**_ **! That's funny, I mean, the smoke bomb is** _ **such**_ **a nice touch. Although even if you aren't there, you're still accountable. We just can't punish you yet. And another thing, how do you know there's even going to** _ **be**_ **another darathon? If I don't get enough reviews I might just not do another one. Ever think about that? Huh?**

 **Star Windbreaker:... I have nothing to say… wow… Bil likes picles… huh, who knew. Nice Darathon though Ary! WHY IS EVERYONE AFRAID OF ME BIG SIS!? WHY!**

 **-Your sad sister, Star Windbreaker**

 **Well, you did just say something, so that's a thing now. Yes Bill likes pickles, please spell it right you goof (Star is reading this as I type it and is yelling at me), and we all knew since the Darathon. And finally, everyone's afraid of you because you're the one who supplies me with Death Wish coffee and fuels my terrifying rants of fury in the stories, so that's on you. Onward!**

 **Anonymous. MISTER Anonymous: I am truly flattered by your usage of my suggestion. Thanks for that! This Darathon was lots of fun, and so was the announcement at the end. Truth be told, I have never been to a homecoming dance. Nor do I know what a homecoming dance is. But I have a few scenarios for a party: a party crasher. Preferably Stan and some vampires. Slightly less preferably time babies cronies. Maybe a large group of zombies dancing to thriller. Perhaps Bill on copious amounts of Smile Dip. Any of these would work great as party crashers (dance crashers?)**

 **Till next time!**

 **I'm so glad that you read this story and have reviewed it, not many comets do *glares at readers*. Seriously? You don't know what a homecoming dance is? Well my comet, a homecoming dance is basically a time for dancing and fun, someone sometimes spikes the punchbowl, and enough drama typically ensues to power several weeks of trouble at school in only two to three hours. While those party crasher ideas are really epic, I can't use them since I already have a set idea (and a prewritten chapter *cheshire grin*) in play.**

 **And I know that this isn't** _ **actually**_ **a comment, but I feel like it should count.**

 **Hourglass Cipher: Hey, are you okay? You probably don't remember me, but I'm a big fan of your stories. I've noticed you haven't been active since December.**

 **Hi Hourglass, thank you so much for staying faithful and checking up on me. Yes I haven't been active in a while, but I have a legitimate excuse… ILLNESS!**

 **Alright, I decided that the darathon chapter was definitely break enough for them, cause I just love torturing these little cinnabons! *cute face* It's what I do. On with the show!**

I shut the door, the chill of a hidden viewer leaving as I entered the house and the hair on my neck lowering. As I walked through the gift shop, slowly so as not to aggravate the still closing wound in my side, I wondered what Paris meant by 'the one I will come to trust most'. Why would she tell me that, especially just after I had fallen onto a ring that seemed to have been following me for the past few days.

"Hey kid! Are you coming or what?" I gritted my teeth at Stan's voice (I still hate being called a kid, I'm fifteen for pete's sake!). As my feet passed over the ground, the pain in my side subsided until there was only a dull ache throbbing in time to my heartbeat. I walked through the door frame and smiled to see that Soos was finally joining us. Even though the Pines had moved back into the shack, Soos was still living there since he and his Abuela sold their house at the beginning of Fall. The old lady had gone to the care home on the other side of town, but she was living comfortably enough that Soos didn't have to worry about her.

Mabel grinned at me, braces flashing in the light, " _Finally!_ Now we can eat! C'mon, I already got you a piece." She held out a plate with something that resembled lasagna, but with glitter and shiny rocks strewn throughout it.

I took it, "Um, what is… _this_ exactly?"

Mabel shoved a piece into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed in under three seconds, "It's lasagna! I put glitter, sugar crystals, and a toy dinosaur in it!" At this, Ford coughed and a T-rex head popped out, landing on the table covered in shimmery liquid. Mabel laughed, "You found it! Nice job Grunkle Ford."

Ford coughed a few more times and pushed the lasagna away, "Yes, well. I think I'm full enough."

Stan grinned evilly at his twin, "Nonsense, I'm sure Mabel wants us all to cave perfectly cleaned plates by the end of tonight. Isn't that right honey?"

Mabel nodded, " _Pleeeease_ Grunkle Ford? Pretty please with sprinkles and glitter and cherries on top?"

Even though I felt sorry for him, I knew there was nothing the old scientist could do against those wide eyes Mabel was giving Ford, "W-well I have to- that is I need-what I mean is that I- oh fine. But Mabel, half the ingredients are either toxic or choking hazards."

Mabel laughed and shrugged, "I don't care! It tastes good!"

Stan then proceeded to noogie her, much to the child's chagrin, "That's my girl!"

Ford turned to Dipper, "So how was your practice today, I'm sure that you've been busy if you're that wet."

Dipper looked down at himself and flushed bright red, "Uh, yeah. Paris ran us through the dance about fifty times, _then_ she said I have to work out up until the talent show!"

Stan rolled his eyes, "Well you _do_ have noodle arms."

Dipper gritted his teeth, "I do _not_ have noodle arms!"

Mabel chewed a piece of the art craft and spoke, pieces of glitter fluttering out of her mouth, "You kinda do."

I chuckled, "Dude, it's cool. I've gotta work out too since I apparently have _no_ stamina."

Dipper shook his head, "No way, not with that." He said pointing at my side.

I rolled my eyes, "Seriously, I'm fine."

Ford narrowed his eyes in worry, "What's wrong with her?"

"She fell onto this ring and it cut into her side."

I shrugged, a throb racing through my side, "I'm fine now, seriously. Although I don't think I'll be able to do work-"

Without even looking away from his food which was at this point moving on its own, Stan spoke, "Nope, you aren't slacking off this week. We gotta get ready for the Labor Day weekend."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Um, shouldn't we get Labor Day off?"

"Do the workers at McDonald's get off?"

"Um, no?"

"Then you don't either."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. Where's Will."

Everyone pointed to the bathroom, "Wha-" Retching noises could be heard from there, bringing to mind a sense of deja vu that I couldn't place. **(Tee hee hee)** I shook my head in amazement that he had last this long without throwing up. "Wow, he's got some kind of screw loose in his internal clock. He was spinning a couple of _hours_ ago."

Mabel's nose scrunched up, "I don't think Will likes my food; he had one bite and ran to the bathroom."

Stan nudged a particular piece of the strange substance on the plate, "I can't blame him, this stuff looks like poison."

That was too much, I burst into laughter. Even though Mabel's food was extremely strange, I had no idea that it was poisonous to dream demons. Or dream _daemons_ if Tad's advice rang true for Will. Mabel looked at me with a confused expression, but everyone else was either smiling or trying desperately to hold in laughter. Unfortunately, Ford did nothing to help this situation.

"Mabel… I think my… lasagna… is moving." Suddenly, something went off in Ford's overcoat. He pulled it out and waved it over his food, the beeping noise steadily intensifying until the machine shuddered and smoke came out of it. "Mabel… your food is radioactive."

That did it. No one was able to keep from laughing after that, not even Mabel herself. We just sat there laughing our heads off for a few minutes when Will finally came out of the just stared at us as we kept laughing.

"Um, what did I miss?" He asked.

It took a while for us to calm down before we could tell him what was going on. But when we did, Will just cringed, "That seems like Pacifica's cooking. I went there several times to escape my masters, and would often stay there when they ate. It was… interesting to watch them eat, since I don't think it was _actually_ edible half of the time."

Stan nods, "That sounds about right."

Mabel gave Stan the stink eye, "Hey!"

With that, everyone laughed again. Eventually, everyone decided that we couldn't eat the "lasagna", so Dipper and Stan started to make pancakes. In the meantime, Ford took the "lasagna" to his study where to study its properties. I was just chilling with Soos at the table with Mabel when we heard a rapping on the window. Mabel squeaked with surprise while Soos facepalmed. I turned around to see a short boy wearing a teal suit squishing his pudgy face and his _extremely_ large white updo to the window pane.

"Oh great," I remarked, rolling my eyes, "the town stalker!" I stood up and closed the blinds, much to the chagrin of the little boy outside. As I sat back down, Mabel sunk lower into her seat and her face turned as pink as her sweater with the shooting star on the front. "Alright, what gives?"

Mabel stuffed her head inside her sweater, "Mabel's not here, she's in sweater town."

I cocked an eyebrow and looked at Dipper for an answer, "Well?"

Dipper sighed as he flipped a stancake, "Over the summer, Gideon had a romantic obsession with Mabel. And when I say obsession, I mean it. He followed us around, tried to kill me, and tried to destroy the Mystery Shack.

"Not to mention he summoned that triangle dude." Soos added.

My eyes widened and my eyebrows hit the roof, "You're saying that _Gideon_ , the same little scammer who skulks around here every once in a while, the same guy who has won the heart of Gravity Falls, summoned _Bill_. The guy who scared the town out of its wits and messed up the wildlife in the forest-"

"Not to mention scarred Tad Strange for life!" Soos interjected.

I paused a moment to look at Soos, "You're saying that 'Lil' Gideon did _that_?"

Dipper nodded, "Yep. He went to jail for a short while, but he got out on probation for saving Gravity Falls and the whole universe."

I shook my head, trying to wrap my head around that, "Wow… Sorry Mabel." I turned to Soos, "Who's Tad Strange?"

Stan laughed and finally joined the conversation, "He's the most boring, most bland, most _normal_ guy in all of Gravity Falls. That's _literally_ his job."

"You're kidding." I deadpanned, but Stan shook his head as he turned off the stove to bring a piping hot stack of Stancakes to the table.

"After Weirdmaggedon, the dude just tried to be twice as normal. And if any dude does anything _not_ normal… well dude, let's just say you don't want to be around that dude." Soos said, grabbing three stancakes and setting them on his plate.

I stood up, "I'm gonna go get Ford and Will."

At the mention of the latter, Mabel perked right up, "I'm coming!" She pulled her body out of her sweater and came running after me. I noticed that when I didn't have my high-heeled combat boots on, Mabel was just about as tall as I was, although I had a couple of inches on her.

I chuckled, "Sure, why not." With that, we headed down to Ford's study. As the elevator lowered, we caught snippets of their conversation.

"-ure about that? If it's really what they said, we could have a serious problem."

"It's a bit different than what I heard back when I was in the Nightmare Realm running with Bill and his crew, but yes." The elevator clicked down fairly quietly, much to the surprise of Mabel and myself, without alerting the two to our presence.

Ford held his head, as though warding off a headache, "Well that settles it then. By the way, would you mind going into Arylia's mind tonight? We're trying to find out if she can dreamwalk."

Will chuckled, leaning against a desk, "Well, I might not be as skilled as my twin, but I can still enter minds, so as long as Arylia agrees to it, I'll have a peek around and see if she has any dormant powers." Ford turned to a machine with a swirl of multicolored liquid suspended in mid-air. A screen had an image of the liquid separated into four groups with labeling.

"What I don't understand is why she would be getting powers _now_ as opposed to when she was young. There are several factors to be taken into account, but I just can't figure it out."

Will bit his lip, "Have you considered that it might just be that she arrived in Gravity Falls? This place _does_ have an abnormal amount of magical energy."

Ford shook his head, "Yes, but were that the case all the zodiacines would have some form of magic by now."

Will rolled his eyes, "Alright, but what about the jewelry? And who's this friend who gave it to her anyway?"

Ford waved him off, "Impossible, jewelry like _that_ couldn't suddenly give her magic." I squinted in confusion as Ford didn't answer the second question.

Will stood up, "What is _wrong_ with you? Can't you tell there's something seriously wrong with that stuff? Think about it!" Will began ticking off on his fingers, "When Arylia gets emotional it glows, whenever something strange happens around it you guys seem to write it off, and she can't take it off! Not to mention that I can feel something familiar about it… darkly familiar, but I can't place it." Mabel was about to say something, but I covered her mouth before she made a sound. As she looked at me questioningly I shook my head, signalling for silence.

Ford collapsed into a chair, "There's nothing wrong with the jewelry, you're just being paranoid."

Will's eyebrows shot up, " _Me_? What about you? You're the _king_ of paranoid, so if _I'm_ more paranoid than you, there's a problem."

"Just drop it Will, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Arylia's jewelry." Ford said. But as those words came out of his mouth, I could tell he was questioning it himself. Suddenly, my wrist burned and I held in a yelp as I realized that my bracelet was leaking a golden mist. The mist went towards Ford, who didn't seem to notice it's appearance. Then again, neither did Mabel, Will did however.

"What in the name of…" Will started as he looked for the source. When he spotted me and Mabel in the elevator, then noticed the bracelet glowing and leaking the mist, he rushed over. " _Resistunt Veritati_!" Almost instantly, the gold mist was hit by a cyan mist pouring from his hand. I hissed in pain as the two vapors fought in the air, clashing and creating sparks of life. As the golden mist appeared to lose, two words crept into my mind unbidden. _Argentum Litura_. I didn't understand it, but I did know that something was urging me to say it.

"Ar… ge… _Argentum Litura!_ " As the word came from my mouth, the bracelet on my wrist froze and the mist in the air slowly began to change from gold to silver. Will's eyes widened as the last of the mist transformed.

"How are you doing that?" He asked as the shimmering vapor began to swirl towards Mabel and Ford.

I stared, "I-I don't know." As the silver mist reached Mabel and Ford, who were watching Will and me in confusion, it slipped through the front of their heads. Immediately, Mabel collapsed into unconsciousness, and was barely caught by Will before hitting the ground. I looked over at Ford who was also asleep, except luckily still in his chair, then back to Will.

"What. The heck. Was that?" I asked as I helped Will set Mabel against the wall of the elevator.

Will sighed, "That would be what we demons call _memoria expellunt_ , a spell we use to alter or destroy memories that may be detrimental to us. Any demon can use it, but only a few can truly master it. I've mastered its use and can counteract it using my own spell."

I cocked an eyebrow, "So, are you a Verum demon or just a daemon?"

Will did a double take, "Daemon, but how do you kn-"

"A friend taught me a thing or two about daemons." I interrupted before he could finish the question.

Will's eyes narrowed, "And was this friend the same one who gave you that jewelry?"

I laughed, "HA! Far from it, Tad told me to a _void_ putting on any more jewelry."

At the mention of that name, Will's eyes shot wide open like a deer in the headlights, "Tad?! Tad _Strange_?"

I rolled my eyes, "Well, not the one who lives in town, but yeah."

Will stood up and started pacing, "Tad only shows up to people who can help him, and I mean _really_ help him. As in, 'Now I can take over the world' help him. Did you make a bet with him?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I've gotta get Tiffany to cough up her _familiar_ and banish Pyronica to another realm before the school talent show. If I do, I get to ask a favor from him, if I don't then I owe _him_ a favor. Either way he's teaching me… stuff." Will caught that I had barely kept something from slipping out, but he didn't press it.

"Fortunately, Tad's not like my brother. He won't twist your words or anything like that, maybe it's because he took the form of an englishman and walked among them for a few centuries."

I chuckled, "That _would_ explain his accent."

Will looked over at me, "Accent?"

I nodded, "He talks like some kind of english godfather. It's soothing."

Will rolled his eyes, "He can tell what makes people feel comfortable and adapts to become that, any accent you think he has is only there to make you more complacent."

I narrowed my eyes, "I'm starting to wonder why he would tell me to trust you if you're just going to trash him." I wasn't sure why, but a part of me was feeling very protective of the daemon.

Will stopped and turned to me, "He told you to trust me?"

I shrugged, "Yeah, I get the feeling he had something to do with your coming here."

Will paled, "He _does_ understand portal control… and I _didn't_ do a very good job of aiming the portal… if he actually _did_ help me get here…"

I smiled, "Then maybe you could stop trying to make me doubt the guy?" As I finished speaking, Mabel began to stir and Will rushed to her side.

"Mabel, how many fingers am I holding up?" Will asked, sticking up three fingers into the air.

Mabel giggled, "None! You're just sticking three fingers up."

I rolled my eyes at her logic, "So, if _she's_ waking up, then…" I was about to finish the thought when Ford came to consciousness.

"Ugh, my head. What happened?" Ford asked as he rubbed his head.

"Yeah, one minute you guys are having some kind of light show, the next you're asking if we're alright. What gives?" Mabel asked, standing up a bit shakily.

Will raised my wrist with the bracelet, "The bracelet was casting a _memoria expellunt_ spell on you to erase your concern for her jewelry. If I had to guess, _that's_ what's been making you all so calm around the weird stuff going on."

Ford raised an eyebrow, "If that were the case, how come I didn't see it? These glasses allow me to see all types of demon magic."

Will blushed, "Um, because it's not demon magic?"

"Wh-what do you _mean_ it's not demon magic?! You've told me yourself that you could cast that spell." Ford sputtered.

Will smiled sheepishly, "It's a, um… daemon spell…"

Ford just looked at him blankly, "A what?"

"Think of demons as two different main species, with several different subspecies. The main species are Verum demon, or true demons, and falsus demons, or daemons. Will's a daemon, so are most of the, quote, 'demons', you've encountered." I said. Everyone stared at me in shock. "What? I'm not com _pletely_ stupid y'know."

Ford shook his head and removed his glasses, "I'll need to change the lenses to account for this then."

Mabel snapped her fingers, "Oh, that's right, Stan and Dipper are done making pancakes. They're not as good as _mine_ of course, but they're pretty good."

Will went ramrod, "Why didn't you say so? Let's go!"

As everyone piled into the elevator, Ford tapped my shoulder, "Arylia. As you know, Will is Bill's twin brother and has many of the same abilities as his brother. One of them is the ability to enter dreams and minds. We were hoping that he would be able to enter your mind to see if you can dreamwalk."

"But only if that's okay with you!" Will said before Ford could say anything else.

I shrugged, "Sure, why not. I mean, it's not like you're gonna screw up my mind while you're in there, _right_?"

Will shook his head, "Of course not, I'd never do that!"

"If it's alright with you," Ford started, "after dinner you could come down to my study and I can hook you up to the machine to record your dreams again."

"Fine by me."

As the elevator clanked to reach the top floor, Ford looked at my side, "By the way, how's your side doing?"

I shrugged, "Fine I guess…" I narrowed my eyes in confusion as I realized that it didn't hurt anymore. Lifting my shirt to expose the bandages, I carefully removed them to reveal nothing but the scar from the dishwasher incident when I was a baby. "Huh… weird."

Ford cocked an eyebrow, "Indeed."

Mabel ran ahead, "C'mon guys! You're missing pancakes!" Will laughed and ran after her.

I smiled as I thought about the two, they definitely had good chemistry, and I could tell they were both willing. Will was starting to warm up to Mabel as he began noticing the differences between the Mabel of Reverse Falls and Gravity Falls. I let out a soft chuckle, it wouldn't be long before _something_ happened between those two.

~/ | \~

~\ | /~

~v~

As I changed into my lavender tank top and black shorts that comprised my pj's, I spoke for my audio diary.

"Day number 104. I'm still at the Mystery Shack, it's definitely becoming a home for me. Honestly, I was just planning on leaving once I had enough to make it to California, there's plenty of work for someone who can stand the sight of blood and can do a set of stitches in her sleep. Not to mention that I can do several base operations with a set of toothpicks and a butterknife. But now… I don't know if I want to leave. I know this place is close-ish to where I used to live, but I doubt _they_ would ever even _look_ for me in some backwater town like this. Besides… I get the feeling that the people here know I don't want to be found. And with the "Nevermind All That" act in place, I can tell they're not going to be talking to outsider about anything.

"Onto the weirder side of things here, Ford and Will were talking in the basement about something in the translation from earlier. For reference, see day 102. I think I've almost memorized what they said I listened to the recording so much! I have a problem. Anyways, I'm going to the basement again so Ford can monitor my dreams again and Will can go mindwalking in my psyche. At dinner, Dipper and Mabel were talking about coming down so they could go mindwalking too. Not sure how comfortable I am with everyone running around up in my head, but I don't really care so long as they don't erase my memories… or go into my fantasies, especially Dipper. That would probably be bad.

"I hope I don't have that dream again. It's getting longer each time, and a bit creepier. Although, I'm starting to wonder if it isn't just a dream. I mean, I've been seeing strange people in a big circle, but I'm recognizing some of them. The girl with the black jacket with red roses on it looked an awful lot like Paris, and some of the others were people I've seen around Gravity Falls. The guy with the poofy white hair is _definitely_ Lil' Gideon, but I'm not sure who the two blondes are. Ah well. I guess I'll find out soon enough. Chao!" With that, I pressed the button on the side of the recorder, saving the file and labeling it as day 104.

I set the audio diary on my nightstand and walked to the door, but stopped when I felt a presence in the room. I turned around, but couldn't see anything, so I checked the window. When I opened it, I noticed that there was a rainbow colored string peeling off the the house. I shrugged and shut the window, then walked out the door without another thought about the string.

Why didn't I remember these kinds of things?

 **Here we are! This is where I stop for now, but don't worry. I should have another chapter about as long up some time next week**

 **Dipper: They've heard** _ **that**_ **before.**

 **Quiet you! But he makes a good point. Don't worry my comets, I** _ **swear**_ **that this is going to continue!**

 **Aaaaaand I just realized that some people could see the ships going on as…** _ **testy**_ **. So here are the ages of the people (even ones not included in ships)**

 **Dipper: 13, Mabel: 13, Soos: 32, Stan: 65, Ford: 65, Wendy: 16, Ary 15, Birch: ?, Will: (technically billions of years old, but in conversion to human years only 15)**

 **And** _ **apparently**_ **the poll on my account isn't working (dang it) so I'm just gonna have you** _ **review**_ **your decision on the dance theme. Here are your choices and the muses who nominated them!**

 **Will: ExGLOWsion**

 **Wendy: Autumn Rush**

 **Mabel: Winter Wonderland**

 **Dipper: Mystical Magic**

 **Ford: Futurama**

 **Stan: Masquerade**

 **Soos: Hawaiian**

 **Arylia: Night of Stars**

 **Bill: Heaven and Hell**

 **Tad: Period**

 **Tiffany: Under Da Sea**

 **Author: My choice out of all of them**

 **Let me just tell you now, if no one votes** _ **I**_ **will choose, and I'm telling you now, that will be a** _ **very**_ **bad idea for several reasons. First off, I don't have any real clue on what you comets would like to have happen, second off I have poor taste in music according to most, third off I would probably pick Bill's choice based on how the story is going to go in my mind. This is your chance to change the outcome of the story comets, don't you want to be remembered for all of history? BTW I'll post a list of the comets who choose the winning theme.**

 **Bill: Wow, seriously?**

 **Yep, I figured that the comets needed some extra incentive. Now comets, don't forget to FFR (FollowFavoriteReview), especially on the theme!**

 **Dipper: Hey, what's going on outside?**

 ***peeks through curtains* Holy mother of liver and onions! Ciao for now!**


	15. Sleeping in your Soul

**Hey my comets! I bet you're wondering what I saw last chapter, well… look no further than the new cover art! It was specially done by Hourglass Cipher, a devoted reader of this story. Thank you Hourglass!**

 **Now, I've decided that from now on (since the A/N's are getting** _ **way**_ **too crowded) I will only respond here to the top 3 reviews and I'll PM responses to the rest (unless you're a guest. If that's the case I'm sorry). Now DipDop! The list, if you please.**

 **Dipper: *hands Ary a short list***

 **Thank you!**

 **Hourglass Cipher (thanks again!):** **Yay yay yay! New chapter! (Please don't add any more characters! It's hard enough designing fan art with the ones that I decided to be in the picture!) Anyway...I vote for Hell and Heaven! And did I mention that I'm excited a new chapter is up?**

 **Hourglass… I'm not going to add many more characters, just three more. Possibly four if I decide to have a contest to add an OC to the story. (everyone check out my account for deets!) And I'm** _ **sooooo**_ **happy that you're drawing fan art for this thing! It's been my dream for this to happen for a long time now. Please please** _ **please**_ **tell me when you post it, or get a deviantart account and PM adoptionsnowcone. That goes for the rest of you comets too, if you have fan art to share please reach out to me and I might feature it.**

 **Meep: many things confuse me about this fic. but i guess thats to be expected with a self insert, i should know. anyway well done, the writing is good and the story is fun but i have one problem mabels statement about being the god of destruction in chapter 4 or 5 is false. that title belongs to a cat-like creature that has and unhealty obsession with cheese and turns his host into a superhero.**

 **Mabel: This is a lie! I** _ **AM**_ **the god of destruction! I claimed that title before any lame Kwami.**

 **. ' Okay, I'm assuming by 'cat-like creature that has and unhealty obsession with cheese and turns his host into a superhero' you are referring to Plagg from Miraculous. (absolutely LOVE that show!) Thanks for telling me what you like about the story, that really makes my heart fill with butterflies! And, what confuses you? I'd really like to know so that I can make your reading experience more enjoyable.**

 **Star Windbreaker:** ***runs around screaming* *calms down* Ok, I'm good... not like anyone cared except Ary... ANYWHO! So, I honestly have to go with BILL! (Heaven and Hell) It would be really cool to read how Birch reacts to it. AND *walks away* I'M REALLY CLOSE TO HIM! *looks to the side* And to see how Arylia reacts... BUM BUM BUM!**

 **Okay everyone, you can come back now! *all muses come out from hiding spots* *Ary cracks her knuckles* Thanks for the vote! It seems that so far people want the Heaven and Hell theme, so everyone had** _ **better**_ **vote, don't just ignore the choices for the dance. But, ah, Star? I thought you knew already… I suppose not. What do you mean by you're really close to him? Do you mean physically or emotionally? Or even spiritually? *all muses shudder at that* And trust me, Arylia's going to have a** _ **very**_ **interesting time at the dance. *cheshire grin***

 **Well, I think that was it. Mabel?**

 **Mabel: Ary does NOT own Gravity Falls. If she did, it would still be running, and it would be going along the lines of this story, except** _ **waaaaaaay**_ **better.**

 **Hey! I resent that.**

I pressed the last button and stepped into the elevator, humming the tune to Disco Girl the way down to the study. When it finally arrived at the level I stepped out to see Mabel and Dipper having some kind of race with bottles of syrup.

"Go! Go! Go! Go!" The twins shouted in sync. I smiled, wishing my sister was with me for a moment before my fond memories of her were shattered by the most recent memory.

"I wasn't aware I was going to have an audience." I said while a large drop of syrup fell into Mabel's hair as she turned her head towards me.

"Uh, yeah. See, DipDop here," Mabel pointed at Dipper who was looking for some kind of rag to remove the syrup from Mabel's hair, "found a spell during the summer that lets people go into a person's mindscape while they're asleep. So, we were hoping to get in on the action!"

I rolled my eyes, "Sure, why not? Just don't go screwing with my memories or whatever while I'm asleep, it's hard enough to keep everything straight already." _Please don't go into the black door while you're in there._ I thought as I sat on the hammock.

Will stepped forward and started rubbing his hands together excitedly, "It's been a while since I've gotten to do this. So, Arylia. I'm going to have to make a deal with you for this to work, 'k?"

My eyes narrowed a bit as I considered the weight behind those words, "Okay… So what are you getting out of it?"

"I get to go mindwalking for a while, it's one of my favorite things to do. And you're going to get to find out if you can dreamwalk or not." Will said as he snapped his fingers, causing orange flames to encase his hands.

I looked at the hand for a moment, "Alright… but if you find other abilities lying dormant, you have to try to activate them. Oh, and you aren't allowed in the room behind the black door."

Will raised an eyebrow, "Okaaaay?"

I looked at the twins, "That goes for you two too." They looked at me questioningly but nodded in agreement. I took Will's hand and shook, "So, how's this gonna work?"

Will grabbed my shoulders and gently nudged me down to a lying position, "I'm going to enter your mind. You should go unconscious almost immediately, and you'll just dream like you're naturally sleeping." He leaned in to whisper to me, "And any visits from Tad should last longer since there will be two daemons in your mind, counteracting any magical time distortion." I nodded and closed my eyes. But nothing was happening.

"Are you sure you-" Suddenly I felt a sharp, blazing hot pain in the center of my forehead.

 _I opened my eyes to see flashing colors and symbols with a strange large circle in the center. This circle had twelve symbols on it: a shooting star, a pine tree, a six fingered hand, a fish eating a dot, a llama, an ice bag, a pair of spectacles, a heart with stitches, a pentagram with an eye in the center, a question mark, a rose, a strange swirling shape, and a group of four diamonds that looked an awful lot like what was on my tank top. At the center of these symbols was a large triangle with a bow tie and a top hat that looked like the statue of Bill in the woods. The image stayed in front of me for what seemed like an eternity before a small, pink axolotl swam through the air to hover before me._

" _ **Hello young one. I am Axolotl, it is wonderful to finally meet you in person.**_ " _It said with what I can only describe as an animal's smile._

 _I blinked a few times, "I'm dreaming, aren't I." It was more of a statement than a question, since everything in the place I was shifted in an otherworldly way._

" _ **Indeed.**_ " _The axolotl said as it undulated in the air._

 _I pointed at the strange circle, "What's that supposed to be?"_

 _Axolotl chuckled, "_ _ **That is something you should show Stanford Pines, he will be most intrigued. Do not fear, it will not harm you. I do not create things that harm innocents.**_ "

 _I cocked an eyebrow, "Innocents? Me?_ Clearly _you haven't been watching me."_

" _ **But I have, and I can tell you that you are much purer than you believe. Now I**_ **believe** _**that a certain daemon is looking for you for your next lesson. Fare well Arylia Scry.**_ " _The creature let out a small cry and a swirling vortex of blue appeared. It flew through, leaving me alone with the strange circle. I studied it for a bit before everything went tones of green. I whipped around to find a violet diamond with an eye at its center floating in front of me. It had a silver beret on its head and a black cane with a silver tip._

" _Hiya me!" It glowed as it spoke, in a voice that was like mine, but much higher on the audible scale._

 _I inched away, "Hi."_

 _The diamond chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. If I did, that would be like killing myself, and I'm not doing that! Actually, the only reason I'm talking with you right now is because Will's forcing me out. Thanks." It rolled its eye sarcastically._

 _I narrowed my eyes in confusion, "What?"_

 _The diamond sighed, "I'm you. Your daemon part anyways. This is what you'd look like if you ever tried to transform… into a demon anyways. Name's Racy Riyals, nice to meetcha!"_

 _I cocked an eyebrow and held out my hand for a shake, "You too… I guess."_

 _Racy looked at my hand and chuckled, "I'm not shaking that. We can't dare ourselves, that would be silly." Suddenly, Racy started glowing brightly, "Oh hey! Gramps is calling you, better get going, or you're gonna miss a lesson."_

" _Wait, what do you mean by Gramps?" I asked as the world faded to a sepia arena._

" _Just think, you'll figure it out soon enough!" Racy shouted before she faded completely out of existence._

 _I stood there thinking for a moment until a voice said behind me, "I had a bit of trouble entering your mind. Am I correct in assuming Will is within your mind?" I turned around to see Tad leaning on his umbrella._

" _Yeah. He's, ah, trying to find out if I can dreamwalk." I said, thinking about what Racy said._

 _Tad whistled and his umbrella disappeared, "I believe that you should practice with your trigger before we continue any further with your training. It would be most unfortunate if you were unable to activate a critical spell because you do not have sufficient magic control."_

 _I nodded, "Sounds good." So for several minutes I practiced my trigger, snapping until my fingers went numb. Every time I did, silver fire burst up from somewhere around us._

" _Alright, I believe that you are ready to move on to the next step in your training: spells."_

 _I smiled in surprise until I heard a gasp from behind me. I whipped around to see Mabel and Dipper standing at the entrance to the arena._

" _Arylia! Get away from him!" Dipper shouted as a strange gun with glass lights on the top of it appeared._

 _I put my hands on my hips, "Hey, this guy's not doing anything but talking."_

 _Suddenly, Mabel came running through an arena door being chased by something from the darkest days of my childhood. Bosco the clown. I let out a squeal and ran behind Tad hyperventilating._

 _When I was six, my family went to a circus for my sister's birthday. While they went for some candy to eat during the show, I was separated from them for a few minutes. I looked around, calling for them, but they were nowhere to be seen. Eventually, I found a place where some nice ladies could call for my parents over a large speaker system. I waited for a while, but they never showed up. Since the ladies had work to take care of, they left me in the care of a clown named Bosco. His red painted on smile clashed with his frown and the white makeup made him look like he was dead._

 _I was stuck with him the entire night until my parents got me after the show. Apparently my sister had noticed I wasn't there right before they left and she came back to find me. Ever since I spent three hours straight with a clown that looked like he wanted to devour my soul, I've been scared of them. So seeing the very clown from my childhood rushing towards me, admittedly with some much more terrifying alterations, was frightening._

 _Since my subconscious had been messing with my memory of the clown, his teeth were now yellow and jagged, his eyes the color of blazing embers, and his hair was in sharp spikes instead of a fluffy wig. I screamed as he came right up to Tad and pushed the daemon out of the way._

" _Excuse me! Just_ what _do you think you're doing?" Tad asked as he brushed off his arms._

 _Now that I was face to face with the clown, my body was petrified and I couldn't think. On some level I knew that I had to get out of there, but those eyes of hellfire were burning straight into me._

" _Arylia!" Dipper shouted, "He's just part of your mind, imagine him gone and he will be!"_

How am I supposed to do that?! _I thought as Bosco chuckled darkly, spring my face with fetid saliva._

 _Suddenly, a blinding flash of white light filled the arena. When it faded, a girl about my age with a white pixie cut and lavender wings appeared "Dude, two words. Breath. Mint." She said as she accentuated the last word with a kick to his stomach. "Now get the heck out of here!" As the girl said this, Bosco started fizzing and melting until all that remained of him was a puddle of red and white paint._

 _I stared at the girl as she dusted her hands, "That was fun."_

 _Dipper narrowed his eyes and pointed the gun-thing at the girl, "Who are you?"_

 _The girl smiled, "I'm Rica Raysly… Arylia's angel, you could say."_

 _Tad laughed softly, "What's so funny?" I asked._

 _Tad glowed with laughter, "Will did a good job fulfilling his end of the deal, that's all."_

 _I cocked an eyebrow, "Okaaaaay?"_

 _Rica smiled at me, "You should get back to training. You'll need the skills later."_

 _I furrowed my brow in confusion, "Why?"_

 _Rica shook her head, "I can't say, but I'm telling you now. What's meant to be will happen, nothing more, nothing less. Everything will work out in the end, good will always triumph. Now I must take my leave, be ready for two more visitors Arylia, and don't fear them." With that, she flew into the air and disappeared in another flash of white._

 _I looked at the twins, "So… I'm guessing you're wondering about Tad." Dipper had pointed the gun back at Tad while Mabel had gotten her grappling hook out._

" _Uh,_ yeah! _Why is there a demon in your head?!" Mabel shouted._

 _I sighed, "I made a bet with him-"_

" _You_ WHAT?!" _The twins shouted simultaneously._

 _I rolled my eyes, "I made a bet with him that I could get rid of Pyronica and her_ familiar _before the talent show. If I could, he would train me to use my daemon powers and he would owe me a favor. If not, he would still train me, but I would owe_ him _a favor."_

 _Tad bobbed in agreement, "You have no reason to fear for Arylia while I am here."_

 _Mabel lowered her grappling hook, but Dipper kept his gun raised, "How can we trust you?"_

 _Tad rolled his eye, "Well, even if you didn't, that Memory Eraser would not harm me. I am not actually in Arylia's mind, I am in her soul."_

 _I whipped my head around, "What?!"_

" _While I_ can _enter dreams themselves, entering the soul is much more effective for tapping into magic. If I had entered your dreams to teach you magic, there would be no way for you to be ready to banish Pyronica safely." Tad said as a teapot and teacup appeared._

 _Dipper lowered the gun, "I still don't trust you."_

" _Of course not, you have dealt with Cipher, Pine Tree. You have even made a poor deal with him, so I understand why you would be suspicious of me." I turned to look at Dipper who was blushing furiously from embarrassment. "However, I assure you that I mean Arylia no harm. Please do not tell Stanford of this when you awaken, I believe that it would be most frightening for him and he may interrupt her lessons by forcing her to remain awake." Tad turned to me._

" _Now as I was saying, before we were so_ rudely _interrupted, I believe you are ready to learn spell casting, something very few beings outside of daemons and demons can accomplish. First I will teach you a spell to smother fire so that if you_ do _decide to expel Pyronica from her_ familiar _you will know how to incapacitate her." Tad whistled and a column of golden fire burst into being at the other end of the arena._

"Infirmatur per Ignem _." As the words wound through the air, the pillar of flame died down and, eventually, disappeared altogether. "Now you try." Tad whistled again, causing a new inferno to appear, "I don't expect you to do it correctly the first time, since it takes a while to correctly pronounce the words." I nodded._

" _Oh, don't mind us, we'll just get into the stands and watch." Mabel said, pushing her bright red brother out of the arena._

 _I stood there saying the words over and over again until my tongue was numb, and even then it did nothing. Finally, "Infirmatur per Ignem. Infirmatur per Ignem. Infirmatur per Ignem!"_

" _Oh honestly, there's an easier way to do this._ Hi o yowameru." _Suddenly, the fire sputtered and went out. I whipped around to see a translucent teen girl in a white kimono and silver hair that floated as if the wind were blowing it. She looked like she came directly out of an anime of ancient japan and was normalized. "_ _Kon'nichiwa_ _, I am Rya Calyris."_

 _I narrowed my eyes and got into a fighting stance, "Why are you here?"_

 _Rya frowned, "That was rude. Has no one taught you_ Ojigi _?"_

 _I cocked an eyebrow, "Don't know what that is. I'll ask one more time, why are you here."_

" _I did not come intentionally, I promise you this. I was merely drinking strength tea with my crane_ _Furosutobijon, when I felt a calling. I followed this call and entered your_ Tamashī _, where I saw you attempting to cast the daemon spell." Rya explained._

" _How do I know you aren't lying?" I asked._

 _Rya gasped in horror, "I would never do such a thing, I swear on my family's honor."_

 _I bit my lip in thought when Dipper shouted at me from the stands, "She's a Yuki-Onna, a Snow Spirit from Japan. Family honor means_ everything _to them, so if she swears on it she means what she says."_

 _The ghost girl nodded and smiled, "Well spoken young_ Matsunoki _."_

 _I straightened out, "Fine, so you're not here to hurt me or anything. When are you leaving."_

 _The Yuki-Onna's face contorted in anger, "It is not polite to ask such a question!" Snow started to fall from the sky, catching on my lashes and sending shivers through me. However, I yawned to show I wasn't affected._

" _Sorry, didn't know." I rolled my eyes, "But you_ did _kinda come into my soul unannounced._

 _I peered out of the corner of my eye to see Tad doubled over and looking very pale. At first I thought he was hurt, but then I noticed the silent wheezes and figured out he was just laughing. I looked over at the twins, the eldest of whom was giggling in a chair while the younger was writing some things down in a green book with a blue pine tree on it. I looked back at Rya, who was now slightly more clear than before and looked quite abashed._

" _You are right, I apologize for intruding upon your_ Tamashī _. I will take my leave as soon as the daemon stops meddling with your_ Yuki Kaku _." Rya bowed_

 _I cocked an eyebrow, "And that is…?"_

" _Do you really not know?" Rya asked, confusion lacing her voice._

" _Uh, no."_

 _Rya sighed, "I suppose_ Sofu _did not tell you everything. Very well, if he will not teach you, then I will."_

 _My eyes widened, "Wait, what?"_

" _Which would you like, for me to wait or for me to explain?" The Yuki-Onna's voice was laced with steel._

" _Look, you seem great and all, but I'm_ not _taking lessons from you. I already have to learn to seperate a soul from its_ familiar _,_ and _I have to banish Pyronica. What makes you think I have time, or even_ want _to learn from you?" I said._

" _Do you truly not desire knowledge of your ancestors?" Rya looked absolutely shocked._

 _I cocked an eyebrow, "Not really. I already know they were miners, so nothing important."_

 _The ghost girl became more opaque in anger, "_ Miners _?! Your_ Haha _was no miner! She was a_ Kōkina josei _among the Yuki-Onna, one with most powerful_ Kōri no mahō _."_

" _No clue what that is." I said deadpan._

 _Tad cut in, "My dear child, I believe it is almost time for you to awaken."_

" _Aw c'mon! I didn't even get the fire put out yet."_

 _Tad chuckled, "Oh my dear, yes you did." I raised my eyebrows, but didn't say anything as the world began to lurch._

" _C'mon Mabel, let's go before she wakes up." Dipper said as they ran for a doorway. I watched as they made their way out of the colosseum and out of my soul._

 _I turned to Rya, "So, yeah. Thanks, but no thanks."_

 _Rya huffed, "I will return soon to your dreams. If you are to banish a fire daemon such as Pyronica, you will need to use_ Yuki no josei no mahō _as well as_ Dēmonmajikku _." With that, she disappeared with a flurry of snow and a gust of cold wind._

 _I turned back to Tad, "Lessons tomorrow night?"_

 _Tad bobbed in agreement, "Of course, you are the only pupil I am teaching presently. Now if you will excuse me, I will depart from your soul to allow you to awaken from your slumber without any hindrance from me." With that, the square daemon disappeared in a flash of gold. And so, I was alone, until the world around me rippled and became hazy._

 _All around me the world fell and the sky swirled like a bucket of mixed paints, several buildings were walking around while Wendy who was wearing a turquoise dress with a long slit on the side, Soos, Ford, Stan, Mabel who was wearing a strange hot pink dress with lots of feathers, and Dipper who was wearing a vibrant blue tux ran to avoid being squished. A maniacal laugh filled the air as I turned around to find one large eye with a vertical slit for a pupil staring at me and peering into my mind. The bracelet on my wrist froze me to the core for a moment, around my neck something seemed to calm my shattered nerves, when I looked down I was able to recognize it as the amulet that Birch gave me, some item on my forehead seemed to lull me to a sleeping state, and an object on my left ring finger seemed to flow with darkness and pain but at the same time fill me with power unimaginable._

 _I turned and ran through town to find destruction everywhere I went and people screaming in agony around me as I darted my eyes around. As I passed a shop with a window still intact I froze in horror, then went back in horror as I looked at my reflection. In the window I saw myself wearing a long dress that I couldn't quite see clearly but somehow knew was a vivid gold, the bracelet and amulet that Birch had given me as well as a circlet on my head that had diamonds and topaz embedded in it's golden hold. That wasn't what scared me so bad, what had caught me in the thralls of horror was the color of my eyes: no longer the vibrant violet color that I had always lived with, but a glowing gold that held no warmth, only a crazed gleam that reminded me of Birch for some reason. As I stared at the image, the eye I had seen earlier came up behind me and I screamed._

 _I closed my eyes, waiting to wake up as I had in the dreams previous, but nothing happened. I peeked out of one to see myself in a large antechamber where the Pines family, Wendy, Soos, Robbie, Mcgucket, a blonde chick with a fuzzy sweater, Paris, a blonde girl with hot pink highlights in her hair, and Gideon were standing in a large circle with symbols below them. I tried to run to them, but my feet were stuck in place and I couldn't feel my legs. A shrill laugh emanated from behind me and I went stiff as a board. When I turned my head, the triangle from before was sitting on a throne made of statues of the people in Gravity Falls. I felt my eyes widen in terror right before I screamed._

" _Ugh,_ freaky! _Let's calm things down a bit." A voice shouted over the dark laughter and my scream. Suddenly, smooth singing slithered through the air, causing the figures around me to melt and merge into a giant puddle. The room around me faded until there was only an island with a view of the ocean for miles. I hesitantly walked over to the water, stepped out of my shoes, which I realized were golden and_ very _strappy, and stuck my feet in the cool ocean. I smiled and lifted the skirt of my still blurry dress to wade into the turquoise liquid._

" _Hey, you're welcome by the way!" I whipped around to see a teenage girl_ (yet again) _sitting on a bent palm tree. Her skin was golden-brown and her hair seemed to have trouble deciding whether or not it was blue, black, green, or turquoise. She wore an aqua crop tank and a teal skirt that flowed around her ankles and down into the sand a foot below her._

" _Gah!" I screamed as my foot slipped on some of the sand under the water. I took a tumble and came up sputtering and trying to wipe my eyes. The girl was laughing so hard she fell into the sand, but that didn't stop her. I growled, "Not funny. And who are you?"_

 _I waited for the girl to stop laughing, which took quite a while, "Ray Lyricas. I'm a siren,_ your _siren to be exact."_

 _I just stared at her with a blank face, "Okay, you've met Rica, right?" I nodded, "Well, I'm kinda like her. And Rya… and Racy come to think of it. We're your other selves."_

 _I cocked an eyebrow, "Like, schizophrenic other selves?"_

 _Ray shook her head, "No, we represent the other parts of you, your different species… do you seriously not know?"_

 _I shook my head, "Oooookaaaaay… Well, you are a hodgepodge mix of five different species that probably shouldn't even be compatible. I mean, siren_ and _Yuki-Onna? That's stretching it to the max. I'm like, your body trying to express itself in a safer way than literally having all parts of the species exist at the same time. Just imagine, angelic power clashing with daemon blood eugh." Ray shuddered, "It wouldn't be good. So the magic of your species potluck made us! We're pretty much all you, just a little more centered around the species we belong to."_

 _I furrowed my brow in confusion, "So… why do I look like a normal human?"_

 _Ray giggled, "Normal? You're a human with Alexander's Genesis! That doesn't happen every day you know. But, you look like a human because that's how you were born. Your parents weren't able to have kids together, so they kind of… implanted you."_

 _I blinked, "Wait… what do you mean_ implanted _?"_

 _Ray opened her mouth to answer, "They-" Suddenly, the world flashed white and went dark._

I opened my eyes and sat up with a gasp; the awakening was so sudden! I looked to my right where Will was standing, mouth open a fraction of an inch.

"Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey." I poked his chest to accentuate the "hey"s. He snapped out of whatever daze he was in.

"Wha, huh? Oh, you're awake. Pleasant dreams?" He asked. I started nodding before remembering my training session with Tad. I whipped my head over to the twins, "I thought I told you not to go through the black door!"

Mabel chuckled nervously, "Well, I was curious! It was a big door with a "do not enter sign" It was practically _begging_ me to go in!"

I stood up an walked over to her, "No. It really wasn't."

Mabel pouted, "Well nothing bad happened."

"No- _Nothing happened?!_ I was accosted by a psycho clown! I'd count that as something bad." I crossed my arms and looked at the computer screen. Ford had frozen my recurring dream at the point where I was seeing them all in a circle.

"Whatcha lookin at?" I walked over to Ford who was staring at the scene.

"This zodiac. It looks like Bill's, except there are more people on it. Do you know any of them?" He asked, turning to me.

I checked the group, "Um, besides you Pines? Yeah. Wendy, Soos, Robbie, Old Man McGucket, Gideon, and Paris."

Dipper stopped talking to Will for a moment, "Wait, _Paris_? As in, the girl who's been teaching us our routine Paris?" I nodded. Dipper came over and peered at the zodiac, "Yeah, that's Paris alright. And there's Pacifica."

"Do you know who that other girl is?" Will asked.

I shook my head, "She looks familiar, but I can't see her face. And who's Pacifica?"

Dipper blushed and looked away, "A girl I met over the summer."

"Uh-huh. So, is there anything else?" I asked Ford.

"Well, yes. At the start you were dreaming of the field from last night, then after this dream got to the point it stopped the previous night, a voice said… here, let me play it back for you." Ford pressed the black button on the machine. As it played through the rest of the dream, Ray's voice cut through the sadistic laugh.

"Ugh, _freaky_! Let's calm things down a bit." As soon as the sentence was completed, the scene changed to an island view, but no one was in sight.

"And this just continues until you wake up. I honestly can't figure it out, with Will in your mind your dreams should have been much more active."

I cringed internally, "Uh, maybe it's because of the, ah…" I scrambled for a good excuse, "the jewelry?" Ford looked down and, as if he had just noticed it, started hooking up wires to them. I turned to Dipper who just shrugged.

"Hey Ford! I gotta have her for work by eight, got it?" Stan said. I rolled my eyes, Labor day and I still couldn't catch a break.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." Ford muttered, checking some machines that were beeping and buzzing.

"Well, I'm gonna go." Mabel said as she trudged to the elevator. As I looked at her dejected face, I felt a twinge of guilt, but it wasn't enough to make me apologize. She was the one at fault, I _told_ her not to go through that door, but did she listen? _NO!_ ( **a/n: okay, this kinda reflects my emotions when my sister comes into my room without permission. Darn it Windbreaker!)**

I turned to Will, "So, what'd you see in my head?"

Will smiled and fell back on the cot, "Well…"

 **And that is where I'm ending this my comets. Hmhm… I think the next chapter will be one from Will's POV, that way you comets get to see inside Arylia's head!**

 **Dipper: *Shakes his head* Alright, well please continue to vote on the theme of the dance coming up, go to chapter 13 for the themes and vote there. You're only allowed to vote once, so don't go posting the same theme each chapter in the review.**

 **Mabel: Until then, Ciao for now!**

 **Hey! That's my line!**


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